Who is Danielle Kelly, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert eyeing a potential MMA debut?

Danielle Kelly is a 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. She is known for her high-level grappling skills.

Kelly trains out of Silver Fox Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The American trains under coach Karel Pravec, who awarded her with a black belt last year.

According to an article by MMA Junkie, the 26-year-old revealed she might potentially step into the world of MMA soon.

“I am thinking about MMA. I mean, I’ve been training striking and everything since before the pandemic, but I haven’t taken a fight. I’ve been offered a lot, but I just want to feel ready, and my coaches, if they feel that I’m ready, then I’ll have a fight soon, hopefully.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Although the 26-year-old currently competes as a strawweight in grappling matches, she would prefer her MMA debut to take place at atomweight.

Earlier this year in July, Danielle Kelly participated in the FURY Professional Grappling 1 event. She competed against multi-time jiu-jitsu champion Sofia Amarante and defeated her via submission.

Kelly has also defeated UFC fighters like Cynthia Calvillo and Roxanne Modafferi in grappling matches.

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Danielle Kelly will next compete at FURY Professional Grappling 2

Danielle Kelly will return to action at FURY Professional 2 on October 29. The 26-year-old will compete against Cathryn Millares, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, in the co-main event.

When asked about her thoughts on the matchup, the Philadelphia native said:

“I trained with her probably once, years ago when she came to visit Silver Fox. I’ve seen a lot of her videos and everything. I’m going to take her seriously. Belt color doesn’t matter in no-gi. I’m just going to do what I do. I don’t care who is in front of me, whether we’re friends or not.”

UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili will also compete at the event. 'The Machine' will headline the card against Kevin Dantzler.

'The Machine' is coming off an impressive knockout win against Marlon Moraes at UFC 266.