“I just do my thing” - Danielle Kelly on how she deals with pressure and unreal expectations

Danielle Kelly used to care a great deal about meeting everyone’s expectations. Eventually, she learned how to tune it out with an interesting method.

Life in the spotlight isn’t easy for some athletes, especially for those who aren't used to drawing all kinds of media attention. For Danielle Kelly, a shy and quiet girl from a small town in Philadelphia, the pressure to be martial art’s “next big thing” can be overwhelming.

In lieu of Kelly’s long-awaited submission grappling matchup with sambo practitioner Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4, ONE Championship asked Danielle Kelly how she deals with outside pressure and the unreal expectations to be the best.

The 25-year-old standout said:

“I used to [care] but now I’m kind of like, I just want to go in there and just do my thing. Not really worry about what anyone else thinks. Because I'm putting in the work. I'm in the gym every day. Yeah, it's frustrating. You know, just trying to get better as the day goes by whoever, whenever I compete [with] next.”

Last year, Danielle Kelly broke the WNO record for fastest submission before signing with ONE Championship in February.

Although it looked like she was making headways in the BJJ circuit, Kelly officially rose to superstardom on a much bigger stage, competing in the very first ONE women’s atomweight submission grappling match.

She faced MMA veteran and judo black belt Mei Yamaguchi to celebrate the promotion’s 10th anniversary. Despite the match ending in a draw, Kelly came out a hero. At the end of the night, she was awarded the $50,000 bonus for her dominant performance.

Watch her last match below:

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Chatri Sityodtong believes Danielle Kelly has dominant finishing abilities

Danielle Kelly has received a lot of praise over the years for her talent. However, nothing feels more encouraging than getting praise from CEO and founder of ONE Championship himself, Chatri Sityodtong.

When the Silver Fox BJJ representative signed with ONE, Chatri Sityodtong knew from the start the potential she has to make it big in the martial arts world. Not only are skills and talent the only criteria ONE Championship looks for in an athlete, but personality also plays a huge factor in the recruiting process.

In an earlier interview with ONE, Chatri Sityodtong had this to say about the BJJ star:

“She is an extraordinary talent with dominant finishing abilities and a real killer instinct. She also has a touching life story of adversity and triumph that will inspire the world. Equally important, Danielle is a wonderful human being with a heart of gold.”

Expect massive fireworks when Danielle Kelly takes on ONE newcomer Mariia Molchanova in a submission grappling match at ONE on Prime Video 4, which airs for free and is available to North American fans with a Prime Video subscription.