Danielle Kelly Intends Not to Make “The First Mistake” in Her Submission Grappling Showdown Against Mariia Molchanova

Danielle Kelly has been prepping for her sophomore appearance inside the ONE Circle to the fullest extent. The American grappling sensation is aware of what her rival, Russia’s Mariia Molchanova, can do to upset her at ONE on Prime Video 4. And Kelly wants to be ready for anything.

Their battle will open up another chapter of the budding rivalry between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and sambo. Kelly, a BJJ black belt, is eager to earn her first win in the promotion’s submission grappling division against a Sambo World Champion.

After all, she has competed in both disciplines and is aware of what to expect from her rival. Though she doesn’t have as impressive a resume as Molchanova’s in sambo. Kelly still expects her opposite number to try to prevent her from taking her into deep waters when they meet inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Danielle Kelly will have an advantage over Mariia Molchanova

“I think she might stand up with me a little bit. I know that you can’t really stall in this match, so I’m definitely going to just try it,” the 26-year-old said. To her advantage, Kelly possesses a high-paced submission-hunting game. As ONE’s submission grappling global rule set prevents an opponent from holding up the action, she should have an advantage against the Russian star.

Based on her analysis, the Philadelphia native believes her upcoming foe is more used to picking apart opponents over longer time frames. Which could be a disadvantage for her in her ONE debut. 

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Making Molchanova pursue submissions or advantages is, ultimately, beyond Kelly’s control. But she vows to immediately set the tempo of the match; when she steps into the Circle for her second outing.

Kelly will be cautious and avoid mistakes

“I’m definitely going to try to engage with her most on my part, but I feel like she might try to avoid engaging with me,” she added. “So, I know that the ruleset – for a certain amount of time, if you’re not engaging, you get a stalling point, so she’ll have no choice but to engage with me.”

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However, Kelly will advance with a certain amount of caution, as she does not want to fall victim to any takes, maneuvers, or submissions coming from Molchanova.

“I feel like if it’s good timing on her part. And [if] she gets a submission, she still has a chance of winning. [That goes for] anyone, especially the last sambo guys. I think it just depends on who makes the first move – and not the first mistake,” Kelly said.