"If you're not being called out, then no one cares about you" - Danielle Kelly on her sudden surge in popularity

Danielle Kelly is a newcomer to ONE Championship. The fresh-faced grappler made her debut at ONE X last month. It was on that card that Kelly saw herself rise to instant stardom.

The 26-year-old was already a rising name in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It was only after her submission grappling match against Mei Yamaguchi in Singapore that the wider audience took notice of her.

While there have always been supportive messages from fans, Kelly said she’s had her fair share of internet negativity. Despite the contentious nature of the messages, she has welcomed the callouts and admits that she relishes the new type of attention that has been given to her.

In an interview with MMA Mania’s Drake Riggs, Kelly said:

“I mean it’s pretty fun because if you’re not being called out, then no one cares about you. No one’s paying attention to you or anything. It’s more motivation. It’s mostly like trolls, I wouldn’t say it’s like anyone. I did have a call out but she fights at 125 so it doesn’t make sense, you’re just trying to be cool,” said Kelly, who competed at ONE Championship’s atomweight limit of 115 pounds.

Watch Danielle Kelly's interview with MMA Mania below:

Kelly burst onto the Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene by defeating veteran martial artists in IBJJF world champion Sofia Amarante, and UFC fighters Roxanne Modafferi, Carla Esparza, and Cynthia Calvillo. She also turned heads when she recorded the fastest submission at Who’s Number One, forcing Jessica Crane to tap via kneebar within three minutes.

She then made her way to ONE Championship, making her debut against MMA veteran Yamaguchi in March at ONE X, the promotion’s 10-year anniversary show in Singapore.

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Danielle Kelly lists Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey as fighting inspirations

Danielle Kelly admitted that growing up, she looked up to Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey, two pioneers of women’s combat sports.

Carano was one of the early fighters who built the foundation of women’s MMA with EliteXC and Strikeforce. Rousey, meanwhile, was utterly dominant in the UFC and essentially made women’s MMA a mainstream phenomenon.

In the same interview with MMA Mania, Kelly said:

“I started watching [when] Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey came in. Seeing someone like Gina Carano, she’s very pretty but she didn’t give off like a ditzy vibe and she was all about fighting. It’s just really inspiring to see someone like that, cool and humble. That was inspiring to me.”

She added:

“Obviously, it’s cool to see someone like Ronda Rousey. I was really obsessed with her at one point but at this point in my life, I’m just obsessed with myself. It was cool to see her use grappling to take her opponents down and submit them right away… It’s cool to see someone like that put women’s combat sports on the map."