“I’m reminded of him” – Danielle Kelly recalls how she bonded with her ill father through jiu-jitsu

The sport of jiu-jitsu is very close to the heart of Danielle Kelly because it is a reminder of the special bond she had with her father, who she lost when she was a young adult.

27-year-old Kelly actually lost both of her parents to extended struggles with illnesses when she was younger. But jiu-jitsu lightened the burden for her and the reason why she is passionate about it.

The Silver Fox BJJ standout shared to ONE Championship in an interview:

“That’s one of the reasons I stuck with jiu-jitsu. Because every day, I’m reminded of him and his motivational words to me, every time I come home from a big tournament or something and I won.”

Danielle Kelly seeks to continue honoring the memory of his parents when she vies for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world title later this month.

She will be up against Cambodian-American Jessa Khan in the marquee grappling contest, part of ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video happening on September 29 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Danielle Kelly said she is excited to finally get her hands on a ONE world title in the historic match, training hard with her team to come up with the best possible showing.

Heading into the contest, she has won back-to-back matches, the last one over Ayaka Miura of Japan by unanimous decision in March.

Jessa Khan, meanwhile, is making her ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 14. She won over Kelly in their previous encounter outside of ONE in February 2021, something she looks to ride on in their rematch.

In this year’s IBJJF World Championships, she won a gold medal in the light featherweight division.

ONE Fight Night 14 is available live and for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.