Danielle Kelly is looking to get a win back from an old foe and win gold in the process in her upcoming ONE Championship battle.
The grappling ace is set to take on Jessa Khan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title in one of three World Title bouts that are scheduled for ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Friday, September 29, and she has revenge in mind.
Danielle Kelly and Jessa Khan share a history in sports
When the pair first met in a no-gi contest in 2021, they were at different points in their careers. Back then, Kelly was starting her journey on the elite professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu circuit, while Khan was a rookie black belt hyped as a future star. Kelly and Khan battled through 15 minutes of high-paced action, with the latter emerging as the winner via decision.
Now years removed from that encounter, Kelly has had time to reflect on how the loss came about, and she asserts that it will be a different story this time around.“I was too much into the media. I was too much into like, ‘I’m really, like, nervous. I’m nervous to go against a high-level grappler,'”Kelly told ONE in an interview. “I guess she was one of the first few that I went against, and, you know, now my mindset is really different.”
Both women have garnered success in their own rights since their first battle. Kelly joined ONE and now stands as one of the key faces of submission grappling in the promotion.Meanwhile, Khan continued to fulfill her potential elsewhere, most recently winning an IBJJF World Championship.
Danielle Kelly Seeking redemption against Jessa Khan
Heading into their matchup at ONE Fight Night 14, however, they appear to be in a familiar place. Like last time, Kelly is the more established star, and Khan is the much-hyped newcomer in the division. However, the Silver Fox BJJ representative believes that she has more tricks up her sleeve now, something that she doesn’t think her rival can say about herself.
“I feel like I know her game really well. My exchanges, my defense, my offense are going to be way ahead of her. And whatever she gives me, you know, I’m going to give her something back,” Kelly said. “I train with really tough people – really tough girls. I have an idea of what she’s going to throw at me, and I’ll be ready. I think she’s kind of the same as last time. So, we’ll see.”
