Danielle Kelly training hard to rise to meet lofty expectations

ONE grappling star Danielle Kelly realizes new heights with each performance inside the circle—and she's focused on meeting her lofty expectations.

The 27-year-old New Jersey native recently picked up her first victory under the promotion's banner with a rear-naked choke win over Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4.

Kelly—alongside fellow grapplers like the Ruotolo brothers and Mikey Musumeci—is bringing tons of attention to the sport of submission grappling. She recently spoke with ONE Championship about jiu-jitsu's growing popularity:

“I think, being in this position, I feel pretty blessed but also it’s work now. People are watching me, there are more eyes on me. So it made me work harder, and work more. This is a job to me, something I like to do."

Danielle Kelly added:

"So I think what I got out of it this year is I think I’m a different grappler. So, yeah, I’m taking it seriously and I’m just really, really grateful to be here and be in a spot that I’m in.”

The rising contender is making waves as one of the world's top grapplers—already owning wins over UFC contenders Carla Esparza, Roxanne Modafferi, and Cynthia Calvillo prior to signing with ONE.

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Danielle Kelly reflects on her successful 2022 in ONE Championship

Kelly and her promotional debut opponent Mei Yamaguchi made history by becoming women's first submission grappling championship match in ONE history. Kelly mentioned to the promotion what it meant to take part in the match:

“It was probably the best year for jiu-jitsu. And being a jiu-jitsu athlete, looking back, I wasn’t expecting to be in that spot at all. It meant a lot to be able to be the first jiu-jitsu women’s grappling match for ONE. I worked really hard.”

The American star has long been teasing a transition to mixed martial arts, which would take the MMA world by storm. In fact, Kelly has even discussed a hypothetical fight with ONE women's atomweight champ Angela Lee.

Be sure to check back for an announcement regarding Danielle Kelly's next match, as it will either be against another top-level grappler or her highly-anticipated MMA debut.

Watch Danielle Kelly's full ONE debut match with Mei Yamaguchi below: