“This is going to be wild” - Fans hyped for Danielle Kelly’s huge world title defense against 9-time IBJJF champ Mayssa Bastos

ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly is set to defend her championship belt for the first time in August and fight fans weighed in on it, with many seeing a highly competitive and exciting contest.

The 28-year-old American grappling ace will stake her world title against nine-time IBJJF champion Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2 as recently announced by ONE Championship.

It will be Kelly's first fight back after claiming the inaugural ONE atomweight submission gold back in September with a unanimous decision victory over Cambodian-American rival Jessa Khan.

Upon getting wind of the Kelly-Bastos title showdown, fans expressed their thoughts on it, including from some who viewed the matchup as a solid first title defense challenge for Danielle Kelly.

Below are screenshots of what some of the fans had to say:

Fans reactions to Kelly-Bastos title showdown

Apart from retaining her world title at ONE Fight Night 24, Danielle Kelly is out to extend her undefeated run in ONE Championship since making her promotional debut in 2022, which currently stands at three straight.

26-year-old Bastos, meanwhile, is looking to make it a second outing to remember after winning her first ONE match in March with a unanimous decision victory over Kanae Yamada of Japan.

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Danielle Kelly takes pride in becoming ONE world champion

Danielle Kelly realized her long-sought goal of becoming ONE world champion back in September and was very proud of what she was able to accomplish.

The Silver Fox BJJ standout had herself a battle against longtime rival Jessa Khan en route to a unanimous decision win, which, she said, made it all the more satisfying.

In the post-fight interview following her victory, Kelly spoke about the significance of her title conquest and her expectations as champion moving forward.

The Philadelphia native said:

"This means that the next one's not gonna be easy. I have to work really hard, but this means that I'm a warrior. Again, I worked really hard for this and I'm a champion, and you know I'm just proud to be the face of ONE Championship's atomweight submission grappling champion at the end and being the face of women's jiu-jitsu."

Well, the next for Kelly is her first title defense in August at ONE Fight Night 24 against decorated BJJ athlete Mayssa Bastos of Brazil.