“That’s what gives me confidence” - Danielle Kelly inspired by Garry Tonon’s transition to MMA

Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Danielle Kelly recently announced that she had signed with ONE Championship. One of the biggest reasons behind her decision to join ONE was seeing her idol Garry Tonon and other submission grapplers reach immense success in the Circle.

Kelly joined the global stage of ONE Championship with the intent to compete in submission grappling matches and eventually make her way to a full transition to mixed martial arts. The 26-year-old says watching Tonon wreak havoc as an MMA fighter has inspired her to want to do the same.

In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Danielle Kelly said:

“I’ve been watching Garry Tonon ever since he had his first ONE fight. I’m still amazed how he puts his jiu-jitsu and wrestling into MMA, all together. That’s what gives me confidence. If you look at other high-level jiu-jitsu athletes in MMA, they’re doing pretty well.”

Kelly intends to follow the same path as Tonon, who also started with ONE in a submission grappling contest.

“I want to start doing jiu-jitsu first for ONE, just to get me ready, just to feel the cage and feel the audience and be prepared. Just to have a good feel for it and be ready mentally. Eventually, I want to be in the atomweight [MMA] division and dominate. I’ve been working on my striking, even before the pandemic happened – and still working on my jiu-jitsu because I think it’s important for MMA.”

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Danielle Kelly wants to "dominate" women’s atomweight division

Danielle Kelly has it all. She has the fighting ability and the looks to pass as an A-list movie star. However, her dreams and aspirations go far beyond just taking part in the sport. She wants to take over ONE Championship and achieve great things.

“When I got the news I was really excited. I really like Chatri [Sityodtong], he’s a really great person and I’m really grateful for these opportunities. I’ve been training and competing for 15 years. I’m not really where I want to be but I’m getting closer and closer. Almost 16 years in training and I haven’t had an MMA fight. That will probably be the most satisfying thing ever, getting my hand raised [for the first time] – and hopefully it’s by submission."

Whether it is submission grappling or mixed martial arts, there’s no denying ONE Championship has an absolute gem in Danielle Kelly.