Danielle Kelly didn't think that being a teacher could make her more vocal

Danielle Kelly believed in her own insecurities so much that she never thought it possible that one day, people would pay her to teach them jiu-jitsu.

The shy 26-year-old from Philadelphia had a rough childhood before she learned the art of jiu-jitsu. Kelly often found solace in her solitude at a time when she was dealing with her father’s illness at home. But as a result, she became more socially awkward, which prompted bullies from school to pick on her for her petite size and quietness.

As the story goes, the bullying got so bad that her father enrolled her in jiu-jitsu classes to learn how to defend herself. As Kelly continued to practice the sport and win competitions along the way, her self-esteem and confidence rose exponentially.

Now an accomplished blackbelt, Danielle Kelly finds herself teaching seminars across the United States to the next generation of athletes - a skill she never thought she could pick up.

She candidly told ONE Championship:

“If I got to be honest, because, you know, I'm a competitor, but I never thought people would want to learn from me. And how I am, like, I'm a shy person. I've had learning disabilities, speech disabilities growing up at a young age, you know. So speaking to the public, especially public speaking, teaching was very hard for me. I think I've gotten a little better now because I know what I'm doing.”

---

Danielle Kelly wasn’t expecting to win another $50,000 performance bonus at ONE on Prime Video 4

Danielle Kelly earned her second $50,000 bonus for her insane performance against Mariia Molchanova on November 19.

The Silver Fox BJJ representative came up with a plan to submit her opponent and she delivered on her promise with a brilliant rear-naked choke.

Molchanova did her best to stop the attack but it was game over for her as soon as she slammed Kelly against her back. By then, Kelly had already snuck in that wrist to tap her out at the 2:15 minute mark.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) MMA post-fight, Danielle Kelly couldn’t hide her excitement to win her second straight bonus of the year:

“I wasn’t expecting it because you know I really wanted the submission, I wanted to finish this match you know, last time I just kept going, I was trying to finish her. Yeah you know, I just drilled everything to the T, I'd been doing the same things like 100 times for the last six weeks, so it was earned.”