Danielle Kelly says MMA fighters have beaten jiu-jitsu fighters in grappling matches

Submission grappling star Danielle Kelly has had a lot of success by challenging and defeating MMA fighters in grappling matches.

Having competed against the likes of Mei Yamaguchi, Carla Esparza and Roxanne Modafferi, she has become a big name in the sport of submission grappling, in part due to these high-profile match-ups.

In her next appearance inside the circle, this will be no different as she faces Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

Whilst many fans would assume that a submission grappling expert would have the advantage over someone who practices all aspects of martial arts, Danielle Kelly believes that it is not always that simple.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, the 27-year-old spoke about how people often forget the times that MMA fighters have gotten the upper hand:

“A lot of people also want to argue too that some top jiu-jitsu guy who’s second place or first place in ADCC, he lost to a UFC guy recently just because he played the top position very well and didn’t let the jiu-jitsu guy get anything. So a lot of people are ignoring that MMA people have beaten jiu-jitsu people in matches and no one’s talked about that. So it’s doable.”

Kelly’s bout with Miura, as well as the rest of the ONE Fight Night 7 card, is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Watch the full interview below:

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Danielle Kelly reveals why Gantumur Bayanduuren was reluctant to tap

One of the biggest recent talking points in submission grappling has come from a contest that took place at ONE Fight Night 6, and Danielle Kelly has a clear viewpoint on the matter.

At ONE's first event of the year, ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci looked to defend his world title against sambo world champion Gantumur Bayanduuren.

Musumeci won a dominant decision after doing significant damage to his opponent’s legs. Whilst Bayanduuren could have tapped much earlier in the contest and avoided his injuries, he refused to give in and managed to last until the bout's time duration ran out.

Whilst it would make sense to try and persevere through the pain if there is a chance of pulling off a win by staying in the contest, it was clear that the match was only heading one way once Musumeci pulled off his signature 'Mikey Lock'.

Though Danielle Kelly has taken the stance that Bayanduuren should have tapped to avoid significant damage to his legs, she has tried to see the decision from the challenger's point of view, suggesting that he chose to stay in the match due to his ego.

Kelly told The MMA Superfan:

“Everyone that I follow or that’s posted are saying pretty much the same thing, that the guy should have been tapping. I think the other guy, he just didn’t want to be embarrassed to be submitted too fast. I think there’s a lot of pride. Obviously, looking at the consequences, he has a torn MCL and everything.”