Danielle Kelly says it’s impossible to please everyone

[Photo Credit: ONE Championship] Danielle Kelly
[Photo Credit: ONE Championship] Danielle Kelly

American grappling ace Danielle Kelly is finding that the combat sports community can be a fickle bunch at times. Despite being unbeaten in ONE circle, Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Kelly claims that it is simply never good enough in the court of public opinion.

While speaking in an interview with ONE Championship, US-born Danielle Kelly explained:

"You're never really going to make people happy. Like even other people are kind of, ‘Oh the sambo girl is going to take her down, take her back and put her in an armbar,’ because I've been arm-barred years ago before too. But people aren't going to be satisfied."

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Even with a win, it is still not good enough. Kelly continued:

"So then, once you go against them and beat that person, then now they're like, oh, you're just dodging jiu-jitsu people. And yeah, it's like if you beat their favorite grappler they're like, ‘Oh, that person wasn't really good enough.’ You're just never really good enough."

Thus far in ONE Championship, Kelly has fought to a draw against Japanese MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi. She then submitted sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova. Next, she will face a dangerous Judo specialist 'Zombie' Ayaka Miura.

Kelly and Miura will have a submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video which is booked for February 24. Live from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, all the action will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.


Submission specialist Danielle Kelly

The 27-year-old grappler Danielle Kelly has had an impressive run in ONE Championship, but even prior to her ONE debut, she was well known as a dangerous submission specialist.

In her overall career, Kelly has defeated the likes of Roxanne Modafferi, Cynthia Calvillo and former UFC Champion Carla Esparza, among others.

Upcoming on February 24, Kelly will face a stiff test. All 4 MMA wins of former world title challenger Ayaka Miura in ONE Championship have come by way of submission.

In an interview with ONE, Danielle Kelly sounded highly confident. She said:

“I’ll be submitting her. I would like to get a choke. I think leglocks are starting to be overrated, but I mean, if I get a leg lock then I’ll just go for it, but I don’t want to just have tunnel vision on it.”

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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