Danielle Kelly says world title isn’t for validation: “You don’t have to have a bunch of titles”

At ONE Fight Night 14, Danielle Kelly will finally get the opportunity that she has been hunting down since signing with ONE Championship.

On Friday, September 29, she will look to join the likes of Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo as one of the promotion’s world champions in submission grappling.

Having produced back-to-back wins inside the circle in her recent contests, Kelly also has a point to prove with this specific match-up.

Stepping inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, she will face a former opponent in Jessa Khan.

Not only does Khan hold a win over Kelly that she has been campaigning to try and get back, her opponent holds one significant accolade over her.

In 2023, Khan produced the highlight of her career as one of the top female grapplers on the planet, winning the gold at the IBJJF world championships as a black belt in the light featherweight division.

As they do battle for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship, Danielle Kelly is keen to prove that winning a world championship doesn’t define you in grappling.

By defeating Khan, the 27-year-old hopes to show that she is the elite competitor in the weight class and just because she is yet to win a world championship, doesn’t mean she doesn’t belong at the top.

In an interview with ONE Championship, she said:

“I feel like I train with the best, and I’m gonna prove that you don’t have to be a World Champion to be better than anyone else. You don’t have to have a bunch of titles.”

ONE Fight Night 14 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.