ONE Fight Night 7: Danielle Kelly Eager To Submit Ayaka Miura

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Bangkok, February 8: Danielle Kelly fears no woman and is ready to demonstrate her courage in the Circle yet again. The American has already challenged a sambo specialist, a mixed martial arts veteran, and now faces a judoka with a third-degree black belt.

On Saturday, 25 February, Kelly will face Ayaka Miura in an intriguing catchweight submission grappling matchup at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kelly, a BJJ black belt, will put her jiu-jitsu prowess to the test against Ayaka's judo skill set. And, as always, the 27-year-old is sure of her chances of claiming another victory.

"I've been working on my wrestling. I'm trying to get back to that because I used to wrestle a lot. I don't want to be just a guard puller. So if I go against her, I think it'd be a fun match. Because I know she's a judo black belt. I think she does a lot of takedowns for MMA fights. So yeah, we're figuring out her game," Kelly said.

"I'll be submitting her. I would like to get a choke. I think leglocks are starting to be overrated, but I mean, if I get a leg lock then I'll just go for it, but I don't want to just have tunnel vision on it."

The Silver Fox BJJ athlete is confident, for good reason. In her debut at ONE X in March 2022, Kelly made a huge impact in ONE Championship's inaugural women's grappling event.

She fought fearlessly against MMA superstar Mei Yamaguchi in a 10-minute matchup, seeking every opportunity to maintain control and fight toward submission.

Although the bout ended in a draw, Kelly impressed ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong so much that he awarded her a coveted US$50,000 performance bonus.

Later in November 2022, Kelly faced sambo specialist Mariia Molchanova at ONE Fight Night 4: Abbasov vs. Lee, earning a submission win with a rear-naked choke against her Russian opponent and another $50K.

Despite the daunting record of her judo opponent in the Circle, Kelly is unperturbed by the 32-year-old's 100 percent finishing rate and her 11-4 MMA record as she prepares for their catchweight bout.

In fact, she believes another victory will guide her to what she wants next, a chance at the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title. "I want to win that women's title for 115 (pounds), for sure," she said.

Don't miss the must-see action at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Saturday, 25 February, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Action will be live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar in India.

Source: Media Release