“I’d love to go against an MMA fighter” - Danielle Kelly eyes ONE Championship’s upcoming US shows

Danielle Kelly hopes to earn a spot on one of ONE Championship's upcoming cards in the United States.

Nearly a year removed from her impressive unanimous decision victory over Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14, the reigning ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion will return to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, Aug. 2, for ONE Fight Night 24.

There, Kelly will put her 26 pounds of gold on the line against BJJ veteran Mayssa Bastos.

Though Kelly is by no means looking past the task at hand, the face of women's BJJ hopes to land a spot on one of ONE Championship's big stateside events this fall. Speaking to Home of Fight, Kelly said:

"I thought I was going to compete in the US event. So hopefully, I compete in the US event, maybe after this match, I do September or November. There’s another US event in November (ONE 169) and I’d love to go against an MMA fighter. You know, that’s like the cool thing now."

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Danielle Kelly hopes to join fellow grappling superstar Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168

It's certainly not the first time Danielle Kelly has mentioned a move to mixed martial arts, but thus far, her BJJ counterpart Kade Ruotolo has already beaten her to it, making his MMA debut at ONE 167 in June.

After dominating the world of jiu-jitsu, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion strapped on the four-ounce gloves for a clash with Blake Cooper.

Ruotolo managed to get the finish in the opening round, taking Cooper to the canvas and submitting his opponent via a rear-naked choke.

While we don't know if Danielle Kelly will be a part of ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6, we know Kade Ruotolo will as he puts his gold up for grabs in a submission super fight with fellow ONE world champion Mikey Musumeci.

Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.