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Danielle Kelly is about to make her ONE Championship debut at ONE: X in a grappling match against MMA pioneer Mei Yamaguchi. The American Black belt is a mainstay of the Brazilian jiu jitsu circuit, having found success in different tournaments like ADCC, EBI, Fury Pro and WNO, among others.
Kelly will look to showcase her world-class grappling skills in front of an Asian audience against a wily veteran in Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi, best known for challenging ONE atomweight queen Angela Lee twice, is as tough and durable as they come. In her first clash with Lee for the title, Yamaguchi withstood hellacious submission attempts while also dishing out her own. The bout held the record for the most submission attempts in a high-profile title bout.
Discussing Yamaguchi's toughness and veteran know-how, Danielle Kelly spoke to ONE Championship about what she thinks:
"I think she has a little bit more, definitely has more knowledge in the few like fighters that I won against. I've seen her finish people and obviously, I've been watching her fights because I'm going against her. But I've seen her submit a lot of people, and I don't think she's ever gotten knocked out or submitted. So it would be really cool to be the first person to submit her."
If she pulls it off and becomes the first person to submit Yamaguchi, Kelly will certainly be adding a feather in her cap.
Mei Yamaguchi isn't the first MMA fighter to face Danielle Kelly in submission grappling
Kelly has had her fair share of MMA fighters compete with her in the art of competitive grappling in the past. She recently faced former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza at Fury Pro 3.
The bout ended via a stoppage win for Kelly, albeit in controversy. Esparza went for a slam from the closed guard of Kelly and accidentally clashed heads with her, opening a cut above her eye.
Aside from Esparza, Kelly also submitted former UFC veteran and women's MMA pioneer Roxanne Modaferri at Submission Hunter Pro in 2020. She won the match via heel hook after an epic scramble on the ground.
Danielle Kelly he has an aggressive style of jiu jitsu, mostly opting to go for leg locks. It will be interesting to see her dizzying pace on the ground against another MMA fighter on March 26.
