Mayssa Bastos turned a lot of heads in her first ONE Championship fight against Kanae Yamada at ONE Fight Night 20 last March. However, it seems her upcoming opponent, Danielle Kelly, doesn't understand the fuss.
As far as the reigning atomweight submission grappling queen is concerned, that match could have gone either way since Bastos failed to submit her game Japanese opponent.
Kelly made her thoughts known in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:
"I mean, Mayssa took her back in like the two-and-a-half minute mark and then Yamada escaped. I think she's gonna take this more seriously, because the other girl, in that ruleset, the other girl could've also won. That's not really talked about much."
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After bucking some top-heavy offense from Yamada, Mayssa Bastos seized control of the match-up using her signature berimbolo to gain back mount.
While the nine-time IBJJF world champion pretty much dictated the flow of the match-up and secured several submission attempts, she couldn't get the tap after the full 10 minutes and won via unanimous decision.
Rewatch Mayssa Bastos vs. Kanae Yamada:
Meanwhile, Kelly vows not to be a sitting duck against the prolific Bastos when they collide in the penultimate match of ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs Balart on Prime Video.
The full event will emanate from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on August 2, live in US Primetime and free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Danielle Kelly says Mayssa Bastos' credentials won't matter
Mayssa Bastos might just be the most decorated female grappler in the world right now.
Kelly, despite being the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling champ, understands why some pundits still view her as the underdog in this match-up.
However, Kelly will ultimately let her skills do the talking and retain her crown this coming Friday.
"I don't really give a s**t what you accomplished or how many titles you have," the Silver Fox BJJ athlete told ONE.