Danielle Kelly on why she prefers chokes as opposed to joint locks in jiu-jitsu

When it comes to submitting her opponents, Danielle Kelly prefers the method and induces a nap rather than the one that results in a snap.

The submission grappling superstar is slated to return to the Circle for a match with Japanese mixed martial artist Ayaka ‘Zombie’ Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. Ahead of her highly anticipated return, Kelly spoke with The MMA Superfan to discuss her preferred methods of victory.

“And this is what I say a lot too - especially females because we’re really flexible, like our legs and arms sometimes - that I would just go for a choke because, what are you gonna do? You’re gonna fight a choke, you’re just gonna fall asleep and the match is over. It’s just easier.”

Danielle Kelly did exactly that in her last outing at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November. She scored her first submission under ONE Championship, forcing Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova to tap out via a rear-naked choke just 2:15 into their contest.

While Kelly may prefer to choke her opponents into submission, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is more than proficient in making her opponents tap. Utilizing everything from arm bars to toe holds, Kelly has scored submission wins over notable names including Roxanne Modafferi, Cynthia Calvillo, and Jillian Decoursey.

Kelly’s fight with Miura, as well as the rest of the ONE Fight Night 7 card, is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Danielle Kelly reflects on a successful 2022

Making her ONE Championship debut at the promotion’s 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X, Danielle Kelly made history competing in the promotion’s first women’s submission grappling match. If that weren’t enough, Kelly delivered a dominant performance worthy of a $50,000 bonus. Since then, Kelly has picked up another win inside the circle and will look to keep her momentum going into 2023.

In an interview with the promotion, Kelly reflected on the past year, noting her personal growth and the growth of Brazilian jiu-jitsu:

“It was probably the best year for jiu-jitsu and being a jiu-jitsu athlete. Looking back, I wasn’t expecting to be in that spot at all. It meant a lot to be able to be the first jiu-jitsu women’s grappling match for ONE. I worked really hard.”

As for what comes next, Danielle Kelly has her eyes on 26.4 pounds of gold.

“I want to win that women’s world title for 115 [pounds], for sure.”