“They pushed me every day” – Danielle Kelly credits her teammates for world title win over Jessa Khan

At ONE Fight Night 14, Danielle Kelly was out to prove a point that she had been wanting to make through her entire career.

On Friday, September 29, she finally got the accolades that her hard work and determination deserved, winning the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship.

Though both Kelly and her opponent Jessa Khan are two of the leading faces in female submission grappling, one clear statistic separated them.

In the time between their first meeting in 2021 and their rematch at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Khan had gone off to win world championships while Kelly had remained active inside the circle.

Getting time under the ONE Championship banner ended up paying off for her in the contest, but above all else, she was out to prove that you aren’t defined by a world championship.

It may have taken Kelly a long time to reach the top of the mountain after everything she has been through, but she hasn’t let that affect her career or drive to be the best.

During her post-fight interviews, Danielle Kelly said that the same rhetoric is true for the competitors that she frequently shares the mats with. While they may not have world championships to their name, it doesn’t mean that they can’t compete at the highest level when called upon:

“Well I trained with high-level people. In our interview before, she mentioned that I haven’t trained with or going up against anyone at a high level. But I trained with really good girls and guys, they push me every day. They’re great, they just don’t have titles on them.”

Watch the full post-fight interview via The MMA Superfan below:

ONE Fight Night 14 is available to watch back in full via the free event replay on Amazon Prime Video for North American viewers with an active subscription.