Danielle Kelly to make her ONE debut against Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X

Danielle Kelly has wasted no time in making herself at home in ONE Championship. On March 26, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu star is set to debut at ONE X in an atomweight submission grappling match against Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi.

The promotion made the announcement on Wednesday, as it added more matches to its incredibly stacked 10-year anniversary show.

Another match added to the event is a showdown between two of the most exciting atomweights in the world., Japanese star Itsuki Hirata will face Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan.

In February, Kelly shared that she signed with ONE Championship and is looking to compete in both submission grappling as well as MMA. The American also shared that she will be part of the famed Evolve Fight Team.

What better way to introduce her to the world than to allow her to do what she does best?

Against Yamaguchi, she will face a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt whose grappling prowess has vaulted her to multiple world title challenges in ONE Championship.

The Japanese veteran is a tough test for anyone, especially in a debut fight. However, getting a win against such an icon could prove just how good Kelly can be.

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Could Danielle Kelly follow in the footsteps of Garry Tonon?

Danielle Kelly admires fellow ONE athlete and grappler Garry Tonon and it looks like she’s following the same path as ‘The Lion Killer'.

Tonon is considered one of the best grapplers in the world and was a prized recruit for ONE Championship in 2017. He made his promotional debut in a somewhat similar fashion – against a Japanese grappling legend in Shinya Aoki.

After taking the win, Tonon went on to dominate the featherweight division with six straight victories. At ONE: Lights Out on March 11, he will get a chance to claim the top prize in the division as he challenges Thanh Le for the ONE featherweight world title.

Tonon’s success in the Circle helped inspire Kelly to make the transition to MMA. As such, getting a win over Yamaguchi will be a necessary first step for Kelly in her quest to emulate her idol.

She certainly has the tools on the ground, but we’ll have to wait and see if she can develop her striking game as quickly as Tonon did when she does make the move to MMA.