"I’m going to still focus on my striking" - BJJ star Danielle Kelly looking to develop striking while preparing for next submission grappling contest

Danielle Kelly recently made a memorable debut in ONE Championship and is looking forward to doing more in her upcoming matches in the promotion.

The American BJJ star has signed on with ONE Championship for both submission grappling and MMA. The depth of talent in the promotion’s atomweight division will have no shortage of challenges for Kelly, whatever ruleset she decides to compete in next.

Speaking with Drake Riggs of MMA Mania, Kelly said that while her first match came pretty fast, she took it as a chance to get more acclimated to her new environment. The 26-year-old claimed that she will ‘definitely’ be competing in submission grappling in her next bout, but will keep honing her skills in striking in preparation for her eventual MMA debut.

“I’ve been back to work at my striking and my rounds. Hopefully, all my coaches could come with me because it’s gonna be my first ever fight. I like to be prepared before, so if I can have everyone by my corner, I think that it’ll be much more comfortable and a great experience. But my next one will definitely be submission grappling. With that, I’m going to still focus on my striking.”

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Danielle Kelly could train at Evolve to hone her striking

In February 2022, Danielle Kelly announced that she would join the Evolve Fight Team and will represent them in ONE Championship. The famed Singapore-based gym is home to some of the world’s greatest strikers and will certainly be an asset in her development in the striking department.

Kelly said that she has been working on her striking even before the global pandemic, as she is surrounded by coaches and people who help her develop these skills. In the same interview, she said:

“I’ve been doing it right before the pandemic happened. In training, I got used to getting punched in the face. It’s never fun. But I think once you start working on your technique and your timing, all those things just come. You just have to get comfortable being uncomfortable as they say. It’s been working slowly for me and I have great coaches everywhere. I want to also go up to Evolve MMA to train up there, that’ll be even perfect for me too.”