Danielle Kelly talks about being the first woman to grapple at iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium

Submission grappling superstar Danielle Kelly will once again make history later this month when she returns for a grappling showdown with Judo black belt Ayaka Miura on February 24.

Kelly and Miura will be the first two women to compete in a grappling match at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand as ONE Championship presents ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Kelly shared her excitement over the opportunity to make history once again inside the circle.

“Yeah, I was just saying too, even being the first women's grappling match in ONE Championship back in March, that was a big stepping stone for me, like, a big accomplishment in my grappling career. And being that, I can be that girl to push forward women's jiu-jitsu and just promote grappling on the stage as well as the guys are doing now, like Kade [Ruotolo] and Mikey [Musumeci].”

Making her promotional debut at ONE’s 10th anniversary showcase ONE X in March, Danielle Kelly looks set to carry the momentum she built in 2022 over to 2023. Closing out her year in November, Kelly walked through Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova, submitting the Russian grappler in just over two minutes via a rear-naked choke.

Fans in North America can watch Danielle Kelly vs. Ayaka Miura live and for free on Amazon Prime Video.

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Danielle Kelly excited to see submission grappling continue to grow under ONE Championship

As invested as Danielle Kelly is in accomplishing her own goals, she may be even more invested in seeing her beloved sport of jiu-jitsu continue to grow into a mainstream sports juggernaut. Under the banner of ONE Championship, submission grappling has already grown immensely, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Kelly even believes it could one day be on the same level as mixed martial arts.

In an interview with ONE, Kelly discussed the growth of jiu-jitsu and believes the promotion has played a significant role in the progress that has been made thus far.

“You know, I think with ONE Championship pushing that, I think it's really good for the sport, especially for both men and women. You know, I think it's a good move and a lot of these jiu-jitsu matches are very exciting. I think it could be on the level where MMA is.”

Kelly will continue to spread her love of jiu-jitsu through social media, seminars, and inside the circle.