When competing in a submission grappling competition within the circle, Danielle Kelly believes that assuming the role of the aggressor is one of the most important factors that can lead to victory.
In the most recent ONE Championship event, which took place a month ago, Kelly made ONE Championship history by becoming the organization’s first-ever women’s submission grappling world champion. She did so by earning the atomweight title with a strong performance against an opponent she had faced before, Jessa Khan.
She emerged triumphant with 26 pounds of gold lying on her shoulder inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium after 10 minutes of fierce action during which the Silver Fox BJJ athlete controlled huge exchanges of the bout. The competition took place within the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
During her appearance on the Chewjitsu Podcast, Danielle Kelly discussed some of the keys to her success inside the cage, as well as one of the most essential differences between competing inside a cage and on an open mat.
In her words:
“You need to push the pace if you are in the cage,” Kelly said, “and it’s kind of like even a real-life scenario if you’re outside and someone pushes you against the wall like you have to learn to defend yourself or attack the person and vice versa.”
You can see the entire interview down below:
The Silver Fox BJJ product not only etched her name into the history books with the victory, but she also extended her unbeaten record while competing under the ONE Championship banner. She delivered show-stealing performances against opponents such as Mei Yamaguchi, Mariia Molchanova, and Ayaka Miura. But her victory over Jessa Khan was by far the victory that tasted the sweetest to her ever since she made her promotional debut in the year 2022.
It is unknown what Kelly has in store for the future, but it is safe to say that the photogenic submission star will have a significant target on her back now that the gold is around her waist.
In North America, you can watch the replay of ONE Fight Night 14 whenever you want, on demand, with Amazon Prime Video. This is convenient if you wanted to catch up on any of the action but didn’t get a chance to, or if you simply want to remember an unforgettable night in the history of ONE Championship.
