Danielle Kelly still on the fence if she wants to do MMA or not

Danielle Kelly isn’t in a rush for a potential move into mixed martial arts.

The submission grappling superstar had previously shown interest in making a move to MMA before the end of 2023. However, in an interview with the South China Morning Post, Kelly indicated that she is having second thoughts about a transition.

“Yes, I mean, yeah, we have all the time. So I'm not in any rush. Maybe I don't want to do MMA, I don't know. Maybe it would be like a one-off or something. It's definitely on my mind because I got my start in jiu-jitsu as a kid. Like I wanted to fight but I never did have an MMA fight. But obviously, yeah. If that MMA fight comes to mind, like some things have to be changed, that's just for the future. But right now, grappling just makes sense right now.”

While Danielle Kelly didn’t completely rule out trying her hand at MMA, she is perfectly happy perfecting her Brazilian jiu-jitsu and dominating inside the circle against the world’s best grapplers.

Coming off an impressive submission victory over Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova in November, Kelly will make her first appearance of 2023 on February 24 when she meets Judo black belt Ayaka ‘Zombie’ Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. The event will air live and for free from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand on Amazon Prime Video in North America.

Check out the interview below:

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Danielle Kelly hopes to book a ticket to Colorado for ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5

While Danielle Kelly’s focus is on her upcoming submission grappling match with Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7, the photogenic BJJ black belt is hopeful that she will be part of ONE Championship’s plans when the promotion makes its long-awaited debut on United States soil this spring.

Discussing the event with SCMP MMA, Danielle Kelly said she would love the opportunity to compete in her home country, where all of her friends and family can come to cheer her on.

"Obviously, yeah. Wishful thinking. Obviously, I would love to be in the first event, it's in the U.S. It's where I live and my family and friends can come to watch me because they obviously can't travel [out of] the country to watch me. I would love to do that. I think overall, I think everyone coming to ONE Championship in the U.S. is a big goal."

ONE Fight Night 10 will emanate from the 1stBank Center in Colorado on May 5 and will be headlined by a flyweight world title trilogy bout between reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and former world titleholder Adriano Moraes.

Just like ONE Fight Night 7, ONE Fight Night 10 is available live and for free to all North American Prime Video subscribers.