"The first round scared me" - Stunned Danielle Kelly thought Stamp Fairtex had Angela Lee at ONE: X

BJJ star Danielle Kelly was part of the spectating community who thought Stamp Fairtex was about to walk away with the upset victory to take Angela Lee’s atomweight title at ONE X.

The American grappler went into a fight fan rage while watching the main event of the promotion’s 10-year anniversary extravaganza, where she also made her ONE Championship debut. In the first round of the headliner, Stamp nailed Lee with a cracking left hook to the liver, which Kelly thought won it for the Thai superstar.

But it was Lee’s fight to take and the longtime champion submitted Stamp with a rear-naked choke to retain her ONE women’s atomweight world title.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Kelly said that she was scared for Lee during the first round. Stamp dictated much of the opening period and that liver blow forced Lee to backpedal.

Kelly said:

“The first one [round] kinda scared me because Stamp has really good striking but as time went on I felt like it would favor Angela because she’s more grounded, has better grappling and wrestling than Stamp,” said the Brazilian jiu-jitsu star."

She added:

“Stamp has her distance and striking, those areas are always in favor of her. But that [first round] scared me. But Angela held her own and she’s the first mom champ so I’m happy for her, her kid, and her family.”

Unlike Lee, Kelly had to settle for a draw in her ONE X match after she faced off against mixed martial arts Mei Yamaguchi in a submission grappling match.

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Danielle Kelly got excited for MMA after ONE X main event

While she got goosebumps watching Stamp and Lee give it their all, Danielle Kelly admitted that the match got her pumped for her planned move to MMA.

Fighting inside a cage was also a new experience for her since BJJ matches are usually fought on a mat without any walls or ropes.

Danielle Kelly said:

“It makes me excited just competing at the ONE Championship Circle. It made me more pumped and I had to feel it out a little bit because that was my first ever match inside a cage. In jiu-jitsu matches, you either fall off the platform, or they stop you, or reset you.”

“You have to fight off the cage and hopefully not get submitted and taken down. It just made me more pumped and I like to challenge myself.”