Danielle Kelly recalls her tough battle against the bigger Ayaka Miura: “She couldn't put me away”

Danielle Kelly is bracing herself for the biggest fight of her professional career as she faces her former tormentor, Jessa Khan, for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world title. That highly-anticipated match will go down on September 29 at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.

The stacked women-led event is set to happen inside the heart of Lion City’s Singapore Indoor Stadium, where two other world title bouts and a special rules match are also ready for the spotlight.

But before she shares the mat anew with Khan, Kelly has looked back on her previous win against Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 last February 2023, where she scored a unanimous decision victory.

In her recent appearance on Sherdog’s YouTube channel for an interview, the 27-year-old narrated how she almost submitted the bigger and heavier Japanese opponent in their submission grappling match that was contested at a catchweight of 118.8 pounds.

Kelly said:

"I literally beat the last three girls and I had a challenge. I went up a weight class in my last one and she couldn't put me away. She put me in her best rule set, her best game, and I took her back and almost choked her out."

The Silver Fox BJJ athlete wants to use these victories as momentum for her upcoming world title match with Khan. Moreover, she feels that it is an advantage for her, especially since she already had experience fighting under the world’s largest martial arts organization, where the lights are the brightest.

ONE Fight Night 14 will air live on US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.