Danielle Kelly says she feels less pressure heading into Mayssa Bastos redo as the challenger: "I just feel more relaxed"

Danielle Kelly says she feels unburdened by the pressure to challenge Maysa Bastos for her crown at ONE Fight Night 26.

The former ONE atomweight submission grappling queen is days away from rematching Bastos this Friday, Dec. 6, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

This bout follows the night Danielle Kelly surrendered her inaugural belt to the new champion by way of close decision on Aug. 2.

Going into her latest foray, Kelly says she's coping well with her return back into the ONE circle. After establishing herself as one of the most dangerous grapplers on the planet on more than one ocassion, Kelly is all confidence and no fear.

Speaking to JitsCast, the American superstar explained:

"I just feel more relaxed this time going in. And I guess not having the belt like, I feel less pressure."

Danielle Kelly and Mayssa Bastos put on one heck of a thrilling performance during their first encounter at ONE Fight Night 24. Bastos lived up to the hype after showcasing her level of skill in the grappling arts.

Kelly had her moments, meanwhile, including scoring a catch for her leg-lock attempt. Unfortunately, Bastos proved to be the stronger grappler, even if it was by a close margin.

ONE Fight Night 26 airs live from Thailand via Prime Video in North America.

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"I put on exciting matches" - Danielle Kelly expects to entertain fans with a vivacious victory over Mayssa Bastos

Danielle Kelly is determined to put on a show for the fans that surpasses all of her previous matches combined when she steps into the Muay Thai ring this week.

Kelly's entrance into ONE Championship was one of the best things to have happened in the world of women's grappling.

She genuinely generated a lot of excitement into this sport due to her inspirational backstory and slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu victories over world-class grapplers like Ayaka Miura, and Jessa Khan.

During an interview with ONE, Kelly hopes that she can continue reprising her role as ambassador to women's grappling with another show-stopping performance:

"I just wanna go out there and put on a good performance because that's why people watch me - because I put on exciting matches."