“It’s kind of like jiu-jitsu” - Danielle Kelly on getting more comfortable with her standup game for MMA

American grappling athlete Danielle Kelly is still eying a move to MMA. The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert has spent some time working on her standup to pair with her ground expertise.

In an interview with ONE Championship, she discussed getting more sparring time in to help get comfortable:

“But I kind of think [striking], it's like jiu-jitsu. Not really, but it's kind of like jiu-jitsu. Like, once you get in there, it's kind of like, a lot of sparring, you do a lot of rolling. And then for MMA, you do a lot more sparring, you get used to it, kind of.”

While a debut in MMA might be in her future, the Silver Fox BJJ-trained athlete has an upcoming submission grappling contest very soon. Kelly will collide with multi-time Russian sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova.

Mariia Molchanova and Danielle Kelly will roll against one another at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 18. Kelly believes jiu-jitsu is superior to sambo, while Russia's Molchanova will be looking to prove her wrong.

All the action on the stacked card will be broadcast live and for free on Amazon's streaming platform for all its subscribers

---

Danielle Kelly looking for a quick finish at ONE on Prime Video 4

When Danielle Kelly meets Mariia Molchanova on November 18, she is not looking to waste any time. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will be aiming for a submission win in under two minutes.

In an interview with ONE, she explained:

“I’m going to say under two minutes. I’m just giving her an extra minute to be nice. Hopefully, she engages with me so it doesn’t drag out.”

That analysis comes as Kelly has done her homework and been watching tape on her Russian opponent. The 26-year-old grappler is not impressed with her future adversary. She continued:

“I think for her art, she’s probably just good at ripping stuff. But she doesn’t really have the mechanics – the finishing mechanics – to really know how to really work a submission. Watching her try to do armbars, she just pulls on the arm. It looks tight, but, you know, if you go against someone that knows what they’re doing, they’re using different details on an armbar and finishing the right way.”

Mariia Molchanova will be fighting to prove herself at ONE on Prime Video 4 against Danielle Kelly. The two grappling experts have been booked for a clash on November 18.