Danielle Kelly wants to be the first ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion

With her success inside the circle to date, Danielle Kelly has world championships on her mind. The 27-year old is ONE Championship’s premier female submission grappling star and she has started to hit her stride in the promotion.

In submitting Mariia Molchanova last time out, Kelly picked up her first tap inside the circle. She will look to keep her momentum going when she returns at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

2022 was a year that saw ONE Championship invest heavily into submission grappling, signing some of the top competitors in the world and giving them the platform to share the stage with world champions from various martial arts disciplines.

With both Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo being crowned as the first ONE submission grappling world champions, Danielle Kelly believes that she isn’t far behind and is focused on winning a world title.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, she said:

“I would hope to be the first jiu-jitsu girl for ONE Championship, [to] be a champion for 115. I've been taking it seriously. The only break I had was during the holidays. Now they called me up for this match, I've just been working and training. Training with everybody. I'm studying my opponents. I'm studying other girls, keeping busy.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Danielle Kelly is ready to live up to the hype against ONE Championship’s best grapplers

Since signing with ONE Championship in 2022, Danielle Kelly has made the most of the opportunity that fell into her hands. Through her personality and grappling style, it was only going to be a matter of time before she became a big star in the promotion.

With the platform provided by ONE Championship, Kelly is grateful for the chance to showcase her skills to a bigger audience than ever before. In an interview with The MMA Superfan, she spoke about the positives and drawbacks that come with her growing profile in the sport:

“I look at it as a huge positive thing, for sure. But it’s also, I wouldn’t say weight on my shoulders, that’s not the right word. I know that there’s a lot of eyes on me, which is a good thing but also, competitive-wise, it’s work. I need to be on my feet and be ready for anything that comes my way in the 115-pound division.”

Catch the full interview below:

On February 24, Danielle Kelly will return to the circle to face Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. With a win, she could position herself at the very top of women’s submission grappling, leading the way for all of the competitors in ONE Championship.

ONE Fight Night 7 will go down from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok and is live and free to watch for North American viewers with an active Prime subscription.