"I don't want to be just a one-trick pony" - Danielle Kelly says evolution key to her submission grappling success

ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly believes her expansion and evolution will go a long way in her quest to be one of the best to ever do it in the submission grappling realm.

The Philadelphia native, who puts her prized possession on the line against Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2, believes due to the nature of the sport, one cannot be fully reliant on their respective strengths and stay complacent.

Speaking to Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu last week, Danielle Kelly touched on her style and what keeps her at the top of her game. The 28-year-old shared:

"I'm an overall grappler. I want to be good at wrestling, I want to be good at trying to attack the legs and taking the back. I don't want to be just a one-trick pony and being good at one thing."

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch Kelly back in action at ONE Fight Night 14 in U.S. primetime this Friday, August 2.

Watch the full interview here:

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Danielle Kelly's time at ONE has seen her grow from strength to strength

If anything, Danielle Kelly's performances under the ONE Championship banner thus far have seen her live up to that constant growth that she talked about.

In her promotional bow, the American star matched up with Mei Yamaguchi's tactical Brazilian jiu-jitsu game. Though both warriors had to settle for a draw, the match saw plenty of action from both parties who pressed for action throughout the single-round affair.

Next, the submission grappling atomweight queen bested four-time sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova. Despite facing constant pressure from her dance partner, Danielle Kelly fixed her flaws and went to her foe's back to lock in the match-winning rear-naked choke seconds past the two-minute mark.

Kelly followed that up with a hard-earned decision win over Ayaka Miura, who simply refused to crack under pressure in their meet in February last year.

Last but not least, the Silver Fox BJJ affiliate claimed the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion against longtime nemesis Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14.