ONE Fight Night 14 results: Danielle Kelly wins atomweight submission grappling world title in masterful performance vs. Jessa Khan

ONE Championship crowned an inaugural ONE women’s atomweight submission grappling world champion on Friday night, and her name is Danielle Kelly.

The Silver Fox BJJ standout took on her former tormentor Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video on September 29th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The pair of BJJ savants exchanged strong collar ties to begin the grappling affair, until Khan decided to pull guard. Trapped inside the Cambodian-American’s strong legs, Kelly kept calm and carried her weight around. The 27-year-old showcased her mastery of the ONE’s Circle walls by wisely bringing Khan near her corner.

The 2023 IBJJF world champion then grabbed a hold of Kelly’s leg and threatened for a kneebar around the eight-minute mark. Khan went straight to her De La Riva guard and used a brilliant sweep to end up on top. In one swift motion, she dove for Kelly’s back and secured a tight body triangle.

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu prodigy kept cranking the rear naked choke attempt, but couldn’t quite get it under the chin. The resilient Kelly slithered her way out and scored a catch following a successful toe-hold attempt.

However, the tides turned in her favor soon after, as Kelly imposed a suffocating top game to keep Khan on the defensive. After a brief restart, the American scored another textbook inside trip.

Khan went back to her Z guard to attack, but Kelly was one step ahead using an overhook to keep the position. The 21-year-old went for a hail-mary kneebar attempt in the final 20 seconds, but could not score a catch as time expired.

An emotional Danielle Kelly took it all in as Mitch Chilson announced her as the winner via unanimous decision and was deservingly hailed as the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.