“I think it’s good for jiu-jitsu” - Danielle Kelly thrilled women’s BJJ is on the rise in ONE

BJJ rising star Danielle Kelly is thrilled to see women’s BJJ gaining momentum on the grand stage.

ONE Championship has made historic precedence in including the first male and female BJJ divisions on their roster. Danielle, for one, is grateful for the opportunity to compete on that platform.

Kelly was present at the ONE and Amazon Prime Video press conference in LA. She was asked by Denise Salcedo how the organization was going to help women’s jiu-jitsu become more known. Kelly responded:

“I think it’s good for jiu-jitsu, especially for women’s jiu-jitsu. Before, women’s jiu-jitsu wasn’t really as big, but with this opportunity under ONE Championship, it gives a good drive for women’s jiu-jitsu to be spread out, especially for the U.S. and around the world to view. So it’s a really good opportunity.”

The women’s division in jiu-jitsu has come a long way since its inception in the 1980s, led by the first female Brazilian black belt Yvone Duarte. Between then and now, what was once exclusive only in the BJJ world, women’s BJJ in mixed martial arts especially, has made its mark on the mainstream.

Now, Danielle Kelly is leading the first women’s division for submission grappling at ONE Championship. Her influence and talent will inspire thousands of young girls to watch and practice the sport for many years to come.

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Danielle Kelly tells girls to train in jiu-jitsu because “any situation can happen”

Danielle Kelly grew up on the tough streets of Philadelphia. She was often bullied by bigger girls in the 7th grade because of her size and natural shyness. To help boost her confidence, she was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu to learn techniques on how to defend herself.

Today, the 26 year-old standout encourages young girls who find themselves in similar situations to pick up the sport.

In an interview with FloGrappling she said:

“Jiu-jitsu definitely helped me with my confidence a lot. And over the years I found myself in situations where I would get into fights. I probably had three fights in my life where I literally had to defend myself - I won all of them, so I’m like 3-0 in street fighting, I'm just kidding."

She added:

"And I always try to tell my friends, like girls who don’t really train jiu-jitsu just to get into it, you know, if they find themselves where they need to defend themselves, you know, any situation can happen.”