Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Danielle Kelly joins ONE Championship

Bengaluru, February 23: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sensation Danielle Kelly has officially joined ONE Championship and the news was made public by her via an Instagram post.

The caption on her Instagram update read, "Happy to announce I am officially a @onechampionship athlete. I am also proud to be a part of @evolvemma. I'll be doing grappling bouts under them, and when I'm ready to do MMA, they'll be the promotion I'll fight under."

The BJJ black belt will have her first taste of ONE action in submission grappling before eventually making her MMA debut in The Home of Martial Arts. She will also hone her craft at Evolve MMA in Singapore.

In 2020, the 26-year-old Kelly earned her BJJ black belt under Karel "Silver Fox" Pravec. Since then, the Philadelphia-based competitor has been one of the fastest rising stars in the American submission grappling scene.

The atomweight combatant has competed against the world's best grapplers, including multiple-time IBJJF World Champion Sofia Amarante, Roxanne Modafferi, Carla Esparza, and Cynthia Calvillo.

Her accolades prompted ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong to sign her, as announced on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Sityodtong's message read, "For me, Danielle has the potential to be the next big thing in martial arts. She is an extraordinary talent with dominant finishing abilities and a real killer instinct. She also has a touching life story of adversity and triumph that will inspire the world. Equally important, Danielle is a wonderful human being with a heart of gold."

While there is no definite timetable for her ONE debut yet, Kelly is over the moon in getting an opportunity to showcase her BJJ expertise in ONE.

"I can't put into words how much this means to me. I try my best to be the best I can be, whether that's on or off the mats. I love what ONE represents," Kelly expressed.

Throughout the past decade, the world's largest martial arts organization has featured top-notch action in other disciplines like kickboxing, submission grappling, and Muay Thai through the ONE Super Series.

The Singapore-based promotion blazed a new trail when Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki and Garry "The Lion Killer" Tonon participated in a submission grappling contest at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES in May 2017.

Kelly will be a welcome addition to the long line of world-class grapplers that have graced ONE like Andre Galvao, Gordon Ryan, and Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida.

ONE Championship returns with ONE: Full Circle on Friday (February 25) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Watch the event live on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Select 1, beginning with the lead card at 3:30 PM IST, followed by the main card at 6 PM IST.

Source: Media Release