ONE Fight Night 26: Danielle Kelly Determined To Reclaim Her World Title Against Mayssa Bastos

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Danielle Kelly is one of the biggest names in the grappling world. Now, she is gearing up for the toughest match of her career on 7 December at ONE Fight Night 26 inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The American BJJ sensation will face her arch-rival, Mayssa Bastos, in a rematch for the ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship. Both superstars first met in August, where the Brazilian defeated Kelly in a closely contested 10-minute bout.

The 28-year-old sensation is eager to reclaim her World Title and defeat Bastos, who is considered the best grappler of sport's lighter weight divisions. Kelly said her other priority is to put on an entertaining match for the fans.

"Well, one is getting my belt back. But, two, it's definitely beating Mayssa, because, again, I don't care about the numbers and rankings. But she is the most decorated girl in our weight class and below. So, beating her would definitely put me up there," Kelly said.

"I just wanna go out there and put on a good performance because that's why people watch me - because I put on exciting matches. So if I don't put on an exciting match, or if it's not an exciting match, then I'm gonna be disappointed."

Kelly is no stranger to facing and overcoming challenges in her life. She endured bullying in school, and both her parents passed away due to illness when she was young. Despite these obstacles, she achieved success at every level.

After reaching her goals on the BJJ circuit, she joined ONE in 2022 and etched her name into history books by becoming the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion in September 2023.

Kelly is preparing to reclaim her title from Bastos, believing that she has nothing to lose in this contest. The Silver Fox BJJ star further added that she can definitely beat her Brazilian opponent.

"This time around, I don't feel any pressure. I don't feel any stress this time, which is pretty scary just because you're kind of going out there, and you're having this mindset of not having anything to lose. I'm just gonna go after her this time," Kelly said.

"She is definitely beatable and submittable. The last couple seconds (of the first match), if there was a minute or two more, she was going to get submitted."