Bangkok, January 27: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Danielle Kelly took ONE Championship by storm in 2022, and quickly established herself as one of the biggest stars in the promotion's submission grappling ranks.
The 27-year-old phenom took on MMA legend Mei Yamaguchi in her debut in March, then made short work of four-time Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova in her sophomore appearance in November.
Kelly is set to return to the Circle at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II at Bangkok, Thailand's famous Lumpinee Stadium, on 25 February, where she'll square off against seasoned judoka Ayaka Miura in a 10-minute submission grappling affair.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is part of a growing wave of stars in ONE's newest discipline, and here we look at three reasons why she may be the most exciting of them all.
#1 She Has A Varied Arsenal
A look at Kelly's record may show that the Philadelphia native is a leg lock specialist - but that is not necessarily the case.
Although it is true that she uses a variety of lower-body submissions to get the job done, her relentless submission attack is not leg-lock exclusive.
As evidenced in her last ONE appearance, where she tapped Molchanova with a rear-naked choke, Kelly tends to target the quickest route to a submission - whatever that may be.
#2 She Has Excellent Takedowns
Kelly possesses one of the most feared guard games in grappling today. However, her background in high school - wrestling against boys - means that she has also developed a takedown game to match.
While her first instinct tends to be to pull guard, as it is the fastest route to a bout-ending leg lock, Kelly has shown that when she does decide to pursue the takedown, she has high-level wrestling technique and relentless pace. Regardless of her opponent's grappling style, Kelly remains a threat in all areas.
#3 She Has A Seemingly Endless Gas Tank
Kelly has also displayed world-class endurance and the ability to set a rapid pace from bell to bell. In addition to her numerous submission victories, the Karel Pravec black belt has also defeated elite opposition during overtime periods, too.
Her cardio was on full display during her ONE debut against Yamaguchi, where she maintained pressure and submission threat for the entire 12 minutes.
While she had to settle for a draw that occasion, her performance was enough to warrant a US$50,000 performance bonus courtesy of ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Source: Media Release