“This is my life” - Danielle Kelly can’t see herself without Brazilian jiu-jitsu

ONE Championship’s submission grappling sensation Danielle Kelly can’t imagine her life without Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). At 27 years old, Kelly has established herself as one of the brightest stars in the world of submission grappling. Making a splash in her promotional debut at ONE X in March, Kelly made her long-awaited return to the circle at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November.

Kelly quickly submitted her opponent, sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova, further establishing herself as the premier female submission grappling star in the world today. In an interview with ONE Championship, Kelly discussed the importance of BJJ in her life, saying:

“I just had a really rough spot in my life. I met some of the greatest people in the sport who I call my family. So now, I look back, I can't really see what I would do without jiu-jitsu.”

Kelly continued, saying:

“This is my life, and it makes me happy and it also makes me want to be a better person, better myself on and off the mats. So, you know, I think it's a huge stone in my life, so I don't think I could ever walk away from it.”

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Danielle Kelly is excited to see how far submission grappling can go under ONE Championship

While ONE Championship had previously dipped its toe into the world of submission grappling before, 2022 was the year the global combat sports organization went all in.

Signing some of the biggest names in the sport, including Mikey Musumeci, Kade, and Tye Ruotolo, and Danielle Kelly herself, ONE has given BJJ’s best a platform like never before.

Danielle Kelly believes this could very well be just the beginning of how big submission grappling can get thanks to the opportunity ONE Championship and its CEO Chatri Sityodtong have given to the sport:

“You know, I think with ONE Championship pushing that, I think it's really good for the sport, especially for both men and women. You know, I think it's a good move and a lot of these jiu-jitsu matches are very exciting. I think it could be on the level where MMA is.”

With the promotion crowning its first submission grappling world champions in Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo this year, it is clear that ONE Championship is all in on bringing the best BJJ and sambo practitioners in the world to the circle.