Danielle Kelly said the circle turned her clash against Jessa Khan into ‘one of the most exciting matches in jiu-jitsu’

Danielle Kelly feels her clash against Jessa Khan was one of the most puzzling affairs in the history of the sport.

The Silver Fox BJJ bested the IBJJF world champion in a single-round 10-minute contest at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29 to become the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.

Though she has participated in some high-stakes battles, the 27-year-old athlete pointed out one particular factor as to why she thinks her rematch versus Khan is one for the books.

In a recent episode of Chewjitsu Podcast on YouTube, Danielle Kelly said:

“I feel like that makes it like more exciting too for jiu-jitsu and like to be fair, like with me and Jessa's match, I felt like we had like one of the most exciting matches in jiu-jitsu just because, like, you know, she pulls guard, but I was kind of curious how she's gonna use it [in the circle]."

Watch the interview below:

Khan may have started the co-main event showdown looking as if she was prepared to do what she had done to her opposition in the past. Unfortunately, as time passed, Danielle Kelly’s in-circle experience saw her hit a stride in no time.

She reversed the Cambodian-American’s positional advantage, entered the scramble, and hopped onto a kneebar and toehold attempt to gain the first catch of the match.

Fearing she was behind on the scorecards, Khan decided to hunt for multiple submissions. But Kelly stood her ground and used the edge of the circle well before claiming a clear-cut unanimous decision win.

With the victory, Kelly extended her unbeaten run at ONE Championship to four fights. There has been no news of her first world title defense, but Khan remains a favorite to run it back against the divisional queen if she can return to winning ways on the global stage.

Relive their action-packed battle at ONE Fight Night 14 via ONE Championship’s YouTube channel. North American fans with an active subscription can rewatch the card via Amazon Prime Video.