“My dad said no to MMA” - Danielle Kelly says late father was against her becoming an MMA fighter

Reigning and undisputed ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly of the United States is one of the best grapplers in the world today. Still, she's long had her eye on a potential transition to mixed martial arts.

However, the 28-year-old recently revealed that her late father was actually against the idea of her transitioning to become an MMA fighter.

In a recent guest appearance on The Few Will Hunt show, Kelly recalled the time her father told her not to pursue an MMA career.

The atomweight submission grappling queen said:

"The reason I started was because I wanted to do the fighting stuff. That's when Gina Carano and them were coming out. Actually, my dad said no to MMA, because he was the first to be like, there's no fighting. It's not like boxing."

Danielle Kelly of the United States is set to defend her ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world title against decorated Brazilian veteran Mayssa Bastos of Brazil in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, August 2.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.

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Danielle Kelly on the fence regarding MMA transition: "I don't know if I want to get elbowed"

Atomweight submission grappling queen Danielle Kelly has long said that MMA was a possibility for her in ONE Championship, even getting into a brief back-and-forth with ONE legend Angela Lee in the past.

But the 28-year-old says she is still on the fence about making the jump over to full-contact fighting in the cage.

She explained:

"No, unless they're paying me 500k, fine. But if I'm getting paid for jiu-jitsu, especially, today, athletes are getting paid. I don't know if I want to get elbowed, break my nose. I guess I'll get my face broken in jiu- jitsu matches."