“I’m ready to prove myself” - Danielle Kelly to silence doubters in career-defining world title match

Danielle Kelly plans to exact revenge when she faces old tormentor Jessa Khan in her first world title opportunity in ONE Championship.

The pair of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts will contend for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world title at ONE Fight Night 14 this Friday, US primetime, at Singapore Indoor Stadium,

One of the card’s headlining bouts will see Kelly take on Khan for the second time in her career, and the American grappler wants to not just avenge her earlier loss but to also silence the doubters who have hounded her.

In an interview with MMA Mania, Kelly said she’s been training with the same corner that she had for her previous match against Ayaka Miura.

That familiarity ultimately pushed her to her limits and gave her a supreme sense of confidence heading into her match against Khan.

Kelly said:

“I have the best corner with me. They’ve prepared me since February when my last match against Ayaka, I'm ready to go against Jessa Khan, I'm ready to prove myself and prove to the naysayers.”

Kelly and Khan first met under the Who’s Number One banner in 2021 with the Cambodian-American star taking the decision win.

Since that fateful encounter, the pair carved differing career paths away from each other.

Kelly signed with ONE Championship in 2022 and racked up an undefeated 2-0-1 record with wins over Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova and Miura, a former ONE women’s strawweight MMA world title contender.

Khan, meanwhile, took the gi route and captured the gold medal in the female light featherweight division in the 2023 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship.

A couple of years after their first encounter, the pair are once again at each others’ throats.

ONE Fight Night 14 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Watch Kelly's entire interview below: