“Won $500, which was a big deal” - Atomweight submission grappling queen Danielle Kelly looks back at no-gi brown belt days

There is a saying that those who do not recognize or acknowledge where they come from will eventually struggle to find their place in the world. That is definitely not the case for submission grappling star Danielle Kelly...

The reigning and inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion has been putting her opponents through the wringer since debuting in ONE Championship in 2022.

Kelly has been undefeated in four bouts thus far, and when she faced her rival Jessa Khan in September 2023, it proved to be her best performance to date with the world’s largest martial arts promotion.

However, that has not stopped the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from taking some time to reminisce on what brought her to the world stage, taking to Instagram to share some of her bouts from her early years:

“Throwback to my brown belt no gi days. I love doing basics from the closed guard even though it seems old school now in competition lol.”

Kelly continued:

“I ended up winning this tournament with two submissions by armbar 💪🏼 and won $500 which was a big deal to me back then😂😂 how time flies!!!”

---

Danielle Kelly wants super fight

The 28-year-old has been through her own handful of wars since competing as a pro back in 2014, and the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native already has an opponent in mind in the form of Tammi Musumeci.

The older sibling of ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci had a stellar 2023 after capturing gold at the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ made his own pitch to see his sister tangle with Kelly once more.

With a mega matchup right in the palm of their hands, ONE Championship brass very well could make the match happen some time this year.