“Stone cold grappler” - Danielle Kelly gets some love from fight fans in her world title win over Jessa Khan

It took two years before Danielle Kelly finally exacted revenge on Jessa Khan, as she had previously defeated her in their first meeting in 2021, but the wait was worth it and had a better stake.

In September 2023, Kelly made history as she became the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion by beating Khan via unanimous decision in their world championship showdown at ONE Fight Night 14 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

This triumph of the 28-year-old was reposted by ONE Championship on their Instagram account and had the caption:

“From Ring Girl to World Champion 🤩 Relive Danielle Kelly’s crowning as ONE’s inaugural atomweight submission grappling queen! @daniellekellybjj”

In the video, Kelly was seen rag-dolling Khan around the Circle and even carrying her at one point. This fantastic performance by the Silver Fox BJJ representative has earned the respect of fans, as users @staciathenatural, @alexwendlinglive, @16bit.skeletor, @etchedinaventure, and @bowlbythadon commented:

“Stone cold grappler 😮‍💨 🔥 🔥”

“So neat watching the fence work & strategy”

“It’s been awesome watching her career 👏 such a hard worker! She has a lot of determination and dedication and a lot of heart!”

“Smart move carrying her to her corner. Horrible move on the other girl setting herself up to get cheese grated against the fence.”

“Carrying her around is crazy 😂”

Screenshot of fans' comments

Prior to her crowning glory as the first-ever world champion in the division, Kelly had collected two wins against Mariia Molchanova and Ayaka Miura, plus a draw result with Mei Yamaguchi, when she made her debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

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Danielle Kelly wants to be part of the ONE 165 card in Tokyo, Japan

The recent announcement of the massive card of ONE 165 on January 28, 2024, which will be headlined by the flyweight kickboxing super-fight between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Takeru Segawa in Tokyo, Japan, got everyone excited, even Kelly, who said that she wants to compete in the card.

Kelly also named Itsuki Hirata as her next ideal opponent for her return to action because she wants to put her skills to the test against a black belt judo specialist. If Kelly’s wish to be part of the ONE 165 card is granted, Hirata could be the perfect opposition for her.