'It hasn't always been easy" - BJJ phenom Danielle Kelly looks back at her career-shifting ONE debut

BJJ phenom Danielle Kelly looked back at her career-shifting ONE debut with warm appreciation after marking her two-year anniversary with ONE Championship this week.

If you ask Danielle Kelly, success was never handed to her. She worked hard to become the first-ever ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.

This week, Kelly took to Instagram to thank her supporters for giving her the drive to achieve her life-long dream.

In the caption, she wrote:

"2 years ago made my walk to first match at ONE. 4-0. Lots of fun and learning events. I still have a lot to prove to myself. Looking forward to the next challenge. Thanks to those who have always been in my corner. It hasn't always been easy."

Not many jiu-jitsu practitioners can boast of making a living as a full-time grappler, especially if they're female athletes. Kelly, therefore, had to work twice as hard to achieve this level of success amongst her male peers.

The young trailblazer has put women's jiu-jitsu on the map with her incredible run in ONE Championship, starting with her memorable debut against MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X.

Since then, Kelly's growth in the sport has been awe-inspiring. She defeated BJJ world champion Jessa Khan and sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova to legitimize her position as possibly the top female grappler in the world.

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"I proved that I was better" - Danielle Kelly silences doubters with world title victory at OFN 14

Danielle Kelly made a huge statement with her last grappling performance at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video.

The Philadelphia native conquered her fears in defeating former rival Jessa Khan by way of decision after many doubted Kelly's ability to come out on top. The pair had previously met outside the ONE circle in their first match, with Khan walking away with the decision by points.

Now, after having avenged her loss, Kelly firmly believes that she's capable of doing anything and more.

"I envisioned this," she told ONE. "I didn't let the noise get to me, you know? This is what I do, this is my job and I proved that I was the best. I proved that I was better than Jessa Khan."