“I really wanted to submit her” - Mayssa Bastos rues missed chance to finish Danielle Kelly in successful title defense

Mayssa Bastos was able to snatch victory in the final seconds of her atomweight submission grappling world title defense against Danielle Kelly at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6.

However, the nine-time IBJJF world champion believes she could have performed even better.

Following a tense back-and-forth in the first nine minutes of their grappling affair, the resilient Bastos found a way to lock in an extremely tight toe hold, leading to the first and only 'catch' of the match.

Under ONE's submission grappling rules, in the absence of a tap, an athlete with the most legitimate submission attempts once the full 10 minutes have elapsed will be declared the victor.

Despite getting her hand raised and going 2-0 against Kelly, Mayssa Bastos rues her inability to get the finish.

The Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy superstar said in her ONE Fight Night 26 post-event interview:

"I think I performed better than last time, but I don't think I'm satisfied with the win. I really wanted to submit her, but yeah."

Mayssa Bastos may be a bit too hard on herself considering she put on a clinic against the former atomweight submission grappling queen.

Tap or not, she put on a decisive performance and proved she is indeed the best female grappler in the world.

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Breaking down Mayssa Bastos' wonderful display against Danielle Kelly

Just like the first match, Danielle Kelly had no answer for Mayssa Bastos' god-tier guard retention, as she used her incredible inverted guard for both offense and defense.

This time around, however, the Brazilian was not content on simply fighting off her back as she also performed amazing sweeps, guard passes, and showcased her rarely seen top game.

Bastos' technical brilliance shone in the end game, where she threatened a guard pass and used it to snatch the challenger's toe. She then secured the catch by going belly down to deny Kelly's attempt to defend.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 26 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.