It's time for Danielle Kelly to defend her atomweight submission grappling world title for the first time against a worthy and dangerous challenger.
ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2 will feature arguably two of the best female grapplers in the world, as Kelly tussles with Mayssa Bastos in a 10-minute submission-only affair inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Kelly quickly became a fan favorite in the world's largest martial arts organization following stellar wins over Mariia Molchanova and Ayaka Miura. Her crowning moment, though, came at ONE Fight Night 14 last year against her former tormentor, Jessa Khan.
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Despite coming in as an underdog, the Silver Fox BJJ athlete showed immense grit, impressive wrestling, and dominant top control to outlast Khan and become the division's inaugural queen.
The credentialed Bastos, though, won't be intimidated since she has also dominated at the highest levels of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A nine-time IBJJF world champion, the Brazilian showcased her well-rounded arsenal in her one-sided beatdown of Kanae Yamada at ONE Fight Night 20 in March.
Bastos is a true wizard off her back and is an expert back-taker. There's little doubt that her intricate style should match well against champ Kelly's leg-lock arsenal and pressure-passing style.
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US primetime free for those with a Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.
Danielle Kelly working on her sweeps ahead of first world title defense
While Danielle Kelly is a formidable guard passer, which we've seen against Khan, her guard is no joke either.
The Philadelphia native recently shared a clip of her grueling training sessions, which included some fancy berimbolos and De La Riva spins.
The berimbolo, of course, is a great entry for Kelly's fearsome leg locks while the De La Riva sequence she's been drilling is a terrific back-take sequence.