![Danielle Kelly fought Mei Yamaguchi in a submission grappling match at ONE X. [Images courtesy of ONE Championship]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/16410-16500446883356-1920.jpg)
![Danielle Kelly fought Mei Yamaguchi in a submission grappling match at ONE X. [Images courtesy of ONE Championship]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE Championship and Singapore's premier MMA stable, Evolve Fight Team, has their newest acquisition in jiu-jitsu superstar Danielle Kelly. With a bonus-winning performance at ONE X, Kelly had one of the best debuts in ONE Championship ever.
In a recent Instagram reel released by the Evolve fight team, we see Danielle Kelly talking about herself. From her early years in martial arts to her favorite submission holds, we get a quick introductory crash course on the rising star.
Watch the video here:
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Her penchant for inventive leg-lock attacks and relentless pursuit of the finish have made her someone to watch in the submission grappling scene. Now that she is signed with ONE and has aligned herself with Evolve, Kelly will have a wider reach on the global stage.
Danielle Kelly wins $50,000 bonus on her ONE Championship debut
At the historic ONE X card, Danielle Kelly and MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi fought in a 12-minute submission grappling match. The bout went the full distance and ended in a draw. However, the match had an exciting pace, with Kelly being awarded a $50K bonus by ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
In a post-fight interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the visibly surprised yet excited Kelly expressed her feelings about the bonus and her bout:
"I'm doing jiu-jitsu for now, so I was not expecting that! Usually that's expected in MMA for an amazing performance. No, I was not expecting that. I was just expecting to come here and do my thing and have fun with it."
With regards to her performance, the American jiu-jitsu blackbelt had this to say:
"When she was putting me up against the cage, she was trying to prevent me from making space, when you're in closed guard. She kept my head position in the cage so I wouldn't move my hips, got the position the first time, got the armbar, was cranking it. I'm surprised she didn't tap to that. When I saw her and Angela's match, she just didn't want to tap to armbar, I was like alright. She had really good posture, was really strong. Need to work on my finishing mechanics."
If Kelly can excite and amaze fans in a submission grappling match without even winning the bout, expect a lot more from her next outings inside the cage.
