BJJ sensation Danielle Kelly was never concerned with the accolades of her ONE Fight Night 14 opponent, Jessa Khan.
More than two years removed from their first meeting, where Khan escaped with a decision victory, Kelly scored redemption and ONE Championship gold, earning her own decision victory against Khan to even the series and etch her name in the history books as the first-ever ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.
Despite it being her promotional debut, Khan was considered by many to be the favorite, thanks to her status as an IBJJF world champion, not to mention already holding a win over Danielle Kelly. But none of that mattered to Kelly.
Trending
Kelly explained during an appearance on the Chewjitsu Podcast:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
“I went to this match and I just felt comfortable going against her," Kelly said. "I didn't care if she was a world champion. Like, I train with people who beat me up so yeah that's pretty much it."
"They gave me enough preparation to face Jessa Khan, I knew that, and after the match, it only confirmed my thoughts.”
Now sitting as the reigning atomweight submission grappling titleholder, Danielle Kelly will look ahead to her next opponent.
Who that will be remains to be seen, but the Silver Fox BJJ product will be ready for anyone the promotion puts in front of her.
As for Jessa Khan, the Cambodian-American will go back to the drawing board in hopes of earning another shot at gold and a potential trilogy bout with Khan inside the Circle.
If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 14 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.
