Danielle Kelly answers Jessa Khan and her critics: “Whatever, I won”

For newly crowned ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly, her recent win over Jessa Khan was more than just a way to prove why she is right at the top of the submission grappling realm.

The Silver Fox BJJ representative entered the co-main event showdown at ONE Fight Night 14 with plenty of doubters discrediting her accomplishments.

With a defeat to Khan already in the books and her opposite number's successful gold medal outing at the IBJJF worlds earlier this year, she was out to make a statement inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 29.

As she had done throughout her promotional tenure, the American athlete came out on top in most grappling exchanges, and a catch and multiple submission attempts all but sealed her fate in the pivotal match for ONE Championship gold.

However, the naysayers online were still not convinced of Danielle Kelly’s victory, which understandably left her slightly frustrated.

Speaking in a recent episode of the Chewjitsu Podcast, the 27-year-old shared her opinion on the debate and why she couldn’t be bothered by the unwarranted noise.

She said:

“Well, I think because, well they either expected her to like, to drive through me, and it didn't happen, you know. I read a lot of comments right after my match with her to have a clear mind and a lot of people are very confident like, ‘Oh Danielle's good, but Jessa is just better. It's gonna be like the first time.’

"And then, like I beat her, and now the same people are like, 'Oh well, it was in the cage, oh well, Jessa's excuses.’ Well, it's not just them. It's her, too. She made an excuse, and I capitalized on the rules. So yeah, that was the only thing I felt a little upset. But it's like, whatever, I won, so that's probably why I didn't feel too excited after I won.”

Watch the podcast here:

Though it took some time for her to brush off the doubters, Danielle Kelly is certainly enjoying her time as the new divisional queen. She's even indirectly taken a dig at the haters in a couple of social media posts since her win last month.

With the world title in her possession, however, comes a target on her back. But the New Jersey native is ready to welcome any contenders who dare challenge her throne.

Relive her title-winning display at ONE Fight Night 14 via replay on Amazon Prime Video, available to active subscribers in North America.