“Ready to prove people wrong” - Danielle Kelly determined to showcase improvements in her game

Danielle Kelly has all the makings of a future superstar. With the platform provided by ONE Championship, Kelly has everything she needs at her disposal to become one of the leading competitors in submission grappling.

At ONE on Prime Video 4, she will return to the circle for her second appearance in ONE. Whilst she got to showcase some of her skills in her first match with Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X, the contest ended in a draw after she was unable to submit her opponent.

This time around, Kelly feels like she has something to prove to all of her doubters as well as herself.

In an interview with ONE Championship, she spoke about being focused on getting to display what she has been working on away from competition and blocking out external pressures:

“I used to let the little things bother me. But I just want to go in there and just prove who I am, and prove that I'm better now than when I last competed. So yeah, I'm just staying ready, and just ready to prove people wrong.”

On November 18 (US primetime), Kelly will step inside the circle once again with the goal of delivering on the hype and starting her run towards stardom. Danielle Kelly will face Russian sambo specialist Mariia Molchanova when ONE Championship returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The event is free for North American audiences with a Prime Video subscription.

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“I'm pretty confident, actually” - Danielle Kelly says she has been working on her striking in secret

Danielle Kelly is keen to showcase the developments she has made since her ONE Championship debut when she returns at ONE on Prime Video 4. She has also revealed that it isn’t just her submission grappling that she’s been working on behind the scenes.

The 26-year-old made her ONE Championship debut earlier this year as one of the most promising submission grapplers in the sport. Despite this, Kelly has hinted at a transition into MMA for as long as she has been signed with ONE.

Though she is focused on displaying the work she has been doing on the mats and picking up her first win inside the circle, Kelly has continued to work on her MMA to prepare herself for the change of rulesets.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Danielle Kelly revealed how she has been working on her striking behind closed doors:

“I like to give myself some credit. I've been kind of striking for the last three years. I just don't really post about it. I'm pretty confident, actually. I also did striking before for like, self-defense purposes. It took a while to get punched in the face and get used to it.”

Kelly isn’t the only high-profile submission grappler who has long been linked with a transition to MMA. Many of the sport's top stars have hinted at it happening down the line and with ONE Championship’s expansion into submission grappling, there’s never been a better home for fighters who want to do both.