Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu superstar Danielle Kelly is now just days away from the biggest opportunity of her competitive career.
On September 29, in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video, the 27-year-old will square off with reigning IBJJF World Champion Jessa Khan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title.
Danielle Kelly envisions ways for Jessa Khan to submit
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For Kelly, that matchup – airing live in U.S. primetime from the Singapore Indoor Stadium – will not only be her shot at becoming the first-ever ONE Women’s Submission Grappling World Champion but also a chance at avenging a 2021 decision loss to Khan outside of the organization. Now 3-0 in ONE, the Philadelphia-bred black belt is brimming with confidence ahead of the rematch with Khan – a woman regarded by many as one of jiu-jitsu’s pound-for-pound best.
Because despite her foe’s impressive accomplishments, Kelly knows she has the skills to take out Khan and prove she’s the planet’s top atomweight ground fighter. She said: “I feel like I train with the best, and I’m gonna prove that you don’t have to be a World Champion to be better than anyone else. You don’t have to have a bunch of titles. She’s probably the favorite in this match, and I’m gonna prove that, you know, I’m not a World Champ, but I think I can submit her. She’s beatable. So that’s what I’m gonna prove.”
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Of course, Kelly would be happy with a victory and 26 pounds of gold wrapped around her waist on Friday night. But when pressed as to how she’d like to submit her rival, she admitted she’s dreaming big.
Danielle Kelly lays her plan for vengeance
Kelly says she’d like to hit a twister – a rare spinal lock that Khan has previously fallen victim to.
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And if the twister doesn’t present itself, she’s shooting for a classic rear-naked choke from the back: “I really want a twister because I know she got twistered before, so I’d really like to do that for. The first grappling match to pull off a twister on her or, you know, take her back and choke her out. One of the two.”