Danielle Kelly on remaining calm after Jessa Khan took her back: “It’s important to work on bad positions”

Things looked bleak for Danielle Kelly early on in her world title showdown against Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 last month.

The Cambodian-American BJJ savant, after all, magnificently took her back in the early goings of the match and went straight for the rear naked choke attempt.

Kelly, though, showcased incredible resolve and composure and did not allow her former tormentor to get the better of her for the second time.

The Silver Fox BJJ representative came roaring back, scoring a catch via a tight toe hold. While she was unable to submit the feisty Khan, Kelly clearly took over after securing a beautiful trip and maintaining a dominant position as time expired.

After 10 minutes of jiu-jitsu brilliance, Kelly was deservingly crowned as the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.

In her OFN14 post-event interview, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native recalled how she was able to survive the tough predicament she was in.

Kelly credited her coaches and training partners for preparing her for that exact moment, saying:

“When [Jessa Khan] had my back, me and my partners would always train, basically drill that same scenario. The only key was I just couldn’t get too panicky or get too excited, I had to remain calm. I think she was just holding my head at that point.”

“I got cross-faced before really really bad during training, and in that moment I was kind of like I’m okay. I’m just in a bad position, my back’s exposed, and I just have to keep trying to escape. That’s why it’s important to work on bad positions in training.”

Here's the full interview:

While polishing offensive moves is indeed the norm in training camps, it's amazing to know that Danielle Kelly did not neglect the defensive side of grappling.

It certainly paid dividends for Kelly, as she joined ONE Championship’s esteemed group of world champions.

Relive the high-octane action from ONE Fight Night 14 anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America and via ONE Championship’s official YouTube page in selected countries.