“I’m curious to see what she would do” - Danielle Kelly isn’t taking MMA fighter Ayaka Miura lightly

Danielle Kelly is looking forward to her scheduled match at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24 in Bangkok, Thailand, and is not leaving anything to chance.

The top-class submission grappler will face off against Japanese mixed martial arts fighter Ayaka Miura in a catchweight submission grappling contest.

While the fight is happening up her alley, Danielle Kelly is anticipating a tough challenge from Miura and is preparing hard for her.

Speaking to The MMA Superfan, the American fighter shared her thoughts on her opponent and what she expects to go down in their fight:

“I think she’ll be similar to a lot of the MMA girls I competed against. I think she actually tries to go for things. l want this to be an entertaining match. I’m willing to try some different stuff because I’m confident in really bad positions. So I’m curious to see what she would do. I’m even preparing for her to like pull guard. I know that’s not her game, but you gotta prepare for the worst.”

Adding:

“I’m not looking over anything, I think she’s [an expert in] judo - they have really good technique. They’re pretty similar to jiu-jitsu, actually. So I think if she gets into a dominant position, I think it will be tough for me, because I roll with MMA girls a lot of the time, and being in certain positions, you’re like ‘Wow, this doesn’t feel like jiu-jitsu.’ So I think she has that advantage, for sure.”

Check out the video below for the full interview:

Danielle Kelly is coming off her first victory in ONE Championship in November, defeating Russian Mariia Molchanova by submission (rear-naked choke). She settled for a draw (time expired) in her promotional debut last March against Japanese Mei Yamaguchi.

Miura, for her part, is out to break a two-fight skid.

All the action at ONE Fight Night 7 will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.

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Danielle Kelly feels she’s at the forefront of developing women’s combat sports

More than just a platform to showcase what she can do in submission grappling, Danielle Kelly considers her ONE Championship tenure as a way of growing women’s participation in combat sports.

Having signed with the promotion nearly a year ago, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is very encouraged by ONE’s push to provide opportunities for female fighters like her.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Danielle Kelly shared how the set-up she is currently in has only inspired her to do more in spotlighting and advancing women combat sports:

“You know I’m really thankful for competing for ONE Championship, getting that first call. Being the first women’s jiu-jitsu match for ONE Championship, I think that was a huge statement, especially like trying to grow the women’s sports out in the world.”

For 2023, Danielle Kelly seeks to continue stepping up and representing women fighters, including venturing into mixed martial arts if the opportunity presents itself.