Danielle Kelly says BJJ community did not take her seriously before big win over Jessa Khan: “I was just better than her”

Ahead of ONE Fight Night 14, Danielle Kelly had a lot of pressure sitting on her shoulders before she stepped inside the circle.

Since arriving in ONE Championship, the 27-year-old had made it clear that she was here to become one of the faces of submission grappling in the promotion.

Actively campaigning for a world championship shot by staying active inside the circle and racking up wins, the opportunity finally materialized for her at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last month.

Unfortunately for Kelly, the odds were somewhat stacked against her. But at this point in her career, the Silver Fox BJJ student is no stranger to being counted out, doubted, or left to battle her way out of a corner.

With the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship on the line, Kelly met Jessa Khan at the end of September. Not only did her opponent have an IBJJF world championship win hanging over her, but the 21-year-old had beaten Kelly decisively in their first meeting two years prior.

This made this particular matchup far more personal for Danielle Kelly than any of her other previous outings inside the circle.

Not only was this a huge opportunity under the ONE Championship banner, but the US native felt like she had something to prove to herself and to the entire sport.

In an interview on the Chewjitsu Podcast, Kelly spoke about her own expectations for the matchup and how she felt like she was being underestimated at every turn:

“I was just better than her. But I think leading up to this like I wasn't really being taken seriously not just by her, but like the jiu-jitsu community in general.”

Watch the full interview below:

The replay of ONE Fight Night 14 is available anytime on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America