Danielle Kelly feels she didn’t show her ‘true self’ in first meeting with Jessa Khan 

ONE atomweight submission grappling contender Danielle Kelly is ready to realize her dream of becoming a world champion in the world’s largest martial arts organization. She will be welcoming her former tormentor Jessa Khan for her promotional debut on September 29 at ONE Fight Night 14.

This will be a rerun of their February 2021 showdown, when Khan defeated Kelly by decision. However, the stakes are higher in the upcoming encounter because both are vying to become ONE Championship’s first-ever women’s submission grappling world champion in the atomweight division.

In an Instagram interview with Jake Noecker on September 5, Kelly shared her main motivation for the upcoming world title clash with Khan and her thrill for the opportunity to avenge the defeat in their first meeting.

Additionally, the 27-year-old revealed that she failed to display her identity in the past match against Khan. Kelly stated:

"I would say the belt is my motivation. Like, obviously, I want that win back cause I felt like in our past match, I wasn’t really showing my true self."

The Silver Fox BJJ representative will carry the momentum from her two-fight winning streak in ONE Championship, which saw her submit Mariia Molchanova in November 2021 at ONE on Prime Video 4 and unanimously beat Ayaka Miura in February 2023 at ONE Fight Night 7.

On the other hand, Khan built her BJJ credentials by winning gold medals in the 2022 IBJFF Pan American Championships and the 2023 IBJFF World Championships.

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy standout looks to reassert her mastery over Kelly.

ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.