“I need to defend myself” - Danielle Kelly tells story of getting into her first fight, which led her to martial arts

Reigning and undisputed ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly of the United States has been a fighter all her life, even before she stepped onto the mats for the first time to actually compete.

Kelly has dealt with bullying for most of her school life, often being picked on for being the new kid on the block. Because of her late father's occupation, Kelly's family moved around a lot, and this made it very difficult to keep a group of close friends.

In every new school she would find herself in, there was always someone there to bully her.

In a recent guest appearance on the Few Will Hunt show, Kelly recalled the first time she ever got into a fight.

The 28-year-old star said:

"And then one day, fast forward, I got into my first fight ever. And this girl was bigger than me. If I remember correctly, it was like a kid fight, like sixth grade. She was in my classroom. It was at recess, and I think she shoved me or something outside. We had playgrounds, I forgot what happened.

"And then my go-to instinct was to pull her hair, and we just pulled each other's hair, and then we were on the floor, and then the aides stopped us, whatever. And I remember I have a scar here, actually, from her now. And ever since that happened, I was like, you know, I need to defend myself."

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Danielle Kelly returns to face Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video

Danielle Kelly is set to make her highly anticipated return to action next month.

The 28-year-old American will defend her ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world title against Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, August 2nd.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.