“This isn’t about revenge” - Danielle Kelly ready to put the brakes on Jessa Khan in world title match

Danielle Kelly, Jessa Khan | Image courtesy of ONE

ONE grappling phenom Danielle Kelly is slated for the first world title shot of her career at ONE Fight Night 14. On September 29, the American BJJ black belt will be facing a familiar foe for the inaugural ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world title.

Locking horns with Danielle Kelly will be young prodigy Jessa Khan of Cambodia. The fellow BJJ black belt will be making her promotional debut on the same night.

Back in 2021, Khan narrowly beat Kelly at Who's Number One (WNO) Championships. After their bout, the Cambodian-American proceeded to become a world champion when she won the gold medal at the 2023 IBJJF worlds.

This means that Danielle Kelly won't just have a shot a redemption, she will also have the opportunity to beat a world champion in her pursuit of gold.

Kelly spoke about her upcoming match in an Instagram story:

There's a different level of motivation when a fighter is driven to right her wrongs in the past. A redemption story is often a better one than someone realizing their destiny. If Kelly pulls this off, her story arc will be one for the ages.

Danielle Kelly has had quite the path leading to her first world title shot. The American grappling star made a memorable ONE debut by going the distance with MMA pioneer Mei Yamaguchi. The performance earned a $50,000 performance bonus, despite it ending in a draw.

Eager to improve on her first bout in the promotion, Kelly swiftly submitted Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4 a few months later. Kelly once again won a performance bonus for her efforts.

In her most recent outing, the Silverfox BJJ black belt participated in one of the most thrilling submission grappling matches in ONE Championship. Against Japanese MMA star and judo specialist Ayaka Miura, Kelly had overcome a point deficit to ultimately win via decision in the latter minutes of the bout.

ONE Fight Night 14 goes down on September 29 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. It will be available to watch live and free for North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.