“It was pretty funny” - Danielle Kelly tells story of how she beat a boy wrestling in high school

ONE submission grappling star Danielle Kelly is pulling out all the stops to prepare for her inevitable transition to mixed martial arts. Aside from shoring up her striking, the 26-year-old ground specialist is also working on her wrestling, which should complement her phenomenal Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.

Wrestling, however, isn’t a foreign subject to her since she already practiced it in high school. Considering grappling programs weren’t exactly popular for girls her age back then, Danielle Kelly trained mostly with male counterparts.

Not only was she able to hang with the big boys, but she also excelled and gave them a run for their money. In an exclusive interview with ONE, the Silver Fox BJJ black belt shared this fascinating story about how she was able to subdue a boy in high school:

“So I went against this kid, and I don’t think he was super athletic, but he was pretty good. And he was trying to take it to me. So this really cool move I learned from the wrestling gym, I used it on him. And I basically pinned him in that [first] period. And I just remember his team was kind of surprised or laughing, and he was really, really embarrassed. I think he didn’t shake my coach’s hand at that time or my hand.”

The American BJJ ace added:

“But he basically just went back to his team, threw his helmet, and just hid somewhere because he’d lost to me. I was wearing a hair cap, so it was pretty funny. I didn’t blame him.”

Wrestling and BJJ, of course, come hand in hand since it gives grapplers plenty of takedown options and the ability to scramble out of disadvantageous positions. If Danielle Kelly’s wrestling catches up to her BJJ skills, she will be a whole different monster to deal with.

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Danielle Kelly says wrestling opened up more dimensions to her jiu-jitsu

While Kelly’s natural talents have been evident since she rose up the ranks in competitive grappling, it’s her toughness that sets her apart. Much of that has to do with going up against bigger and stronger training partners in wrestling practice.

She told ONE in the same interview:

“It was a little hard at first, just because I wouldn’t give up my back a lot. But it also helped me too, because I won’t settle being in a position or settled being put on my back.

“I will get up right away. It’s like flight mode – if you get taken down, you’re getting back up. So, wrestling helped out a lot.”

Danielle Kelly was already a rising star in the submission grappling scene before signing with ONE in early 2022. The entire world finally witnessed her magic when she took on veteran Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X last March.

While neither fighter got the submission and fought to a draw, Kelly’s skills stood out more. She even pocketed a cool $50,000 for her dominant performance.