Danielle Kelly says she's tops over Mayssa Bastos: "My submission mechanics, my defense, my counters are much better"

Danielle Kelly believes her submission grappling skills are on a different level compared to Mayssa Bastos.

In September 2023, Kelly became the inaugural ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world champion by defeating Jessa Khan. On Aug. 2, the American superstar returns to action to defend her throne for the first time in the ONE Fight Night 24 co-main event.

Kelly's upcoming challenge is against Bastos, an eight-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion who defeated Kanae Yamada by unanimous decision in her promotional debut.

The reigning ONE atomweight submission grappling queen recently spoke in an interview with ONE and had this to say about her opponent at ONE Fight Night 24:

"You have to, I think my wrestling is better. I think my submission finishing mechanics, my defense, my counters are much better."

ONE Fight Night 24 goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium, with Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart battling for the interim strawweight MMA world title in the main event.

The Aug. 2 event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Watch highlights of Danielle Kelly's win against Jessa Khan below:

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Is Danielle Kelly facing her toughest promotional challenge yet at ONE Fight Night 24?

Danielle Kelly's ONE Championship tenure has featured matches against two MMA fighters (Mei Yamaguchi and Ayaka Miura), a Sambo specialist (Mariia Molchanova), and a high-level jiu-jitsu competitor (Jessa Khan).

At ONE Fight Night 24, Kelly looks to add Mayssa Bastos to her impressive resume.

Bastos is unlike any opponent that Kelly has faced under the ONE banner. The 26-year-old is a four-time IBJJF NoGi world champion, a three-time IBJJF Pans NoGi world champion, a former Who's Number One world champion, a five-time IBJJF European champion, and more.

Therefore, Kelly's toughest test in ONE will come against Bastos.

It'll be intriguing to see if the title challenger can overcome the odds and secure a life-changing win to become the new women's atomweight submission grappling world champion.