“Jiu-jitsu and training was my escape” – Danielle Kelly says BJJ helped her cope with rough childhood

ONE atomweight submission grappling top contender Danielle Kelly has developed into a fierce competitor, which has made her one of the best professional BJJ practitioners in the world.

Kelly’s struggles during her childhood helped her grow a deep love and passion for jiu-jitsu, especially after losing both of her parents due to an illness. In a recent ONE Championship interview, the 27-year-old opened up about how the sport became an outlet for all the challenges in her life.

The Silver Fox BJJ representative said:

"Jiu-jitsu and training was more like my escape, you know, to deal with things at home."

Apart from being an escape, Danielle Kelly found enormous success in the sport by winning different tournaments, which she used as a springboard to crack a spot in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

In March 2022, the American BJJ savant officially made her ONE debut against Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X, and although that match ended in a draw, Kelly made sure to win her next two bouts against Mariia Molchanova (submission victory in November 2022) and Ayaka Miura (unanimous decision victory in February 2023).

Danielle Kelly is preparing for the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship, where she is scheduled to fight former tormentor Jessa Khan to crown the first-ever women’s grappling world champion in ONE Championship.

Their ground-breaking and highly anticipated rematch is part of the stacked ONE Fight Night 14 that is headlined by the ONE interim atomweight world championship showdown between Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo Hee.

ONE Fight Night 14 airs live on US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.