Danielle Kelly took the world by storm at ONE Fight Night 14 when she faced Jessa Khan and won by unanimous decision to obtain the first ever ONE Women’s Grappling World Championship Title.
Danielle explained her feelings as she walked into the cage that “something was different” and she said “something hit me and I knew this was my moment.” Despite Khan being more accomplished Danielle Kelly didn’t let critics phase her and focused on her skills and dedication to outperform Jessa Khan.
Link to the full interview at the bottom!
Kelly’s Cage Advantage
Having fought for ONE Championship before, Kelly had an advantage over Khan as she was familiar with Jiu-Jitsu in the cage. This match was Jessa Khan’s first match for ONE Championship so while she could mentally prepare for fighting in the cage, she didn’t have the experience that Danielle had.
Kelly had an aggressive bout with Jessa Khan and used her experience in the cage to her advantage by smashing Jessa against the cage and giving her little ability to move her upper body and neck. Kelly explained that this was her plan, knowing that “for a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, you need a lot of head movement” and overall, “I stopped her.” She worked closely with her coaches, Mike and Matt, and even quite literally, walked Jessa across the cage to her corner to get to work.
Danielle Kelly Almost Submitted
While Jessa had a few solid exchanges, Danielle Kelly ultimately dominated the match and came out victorious, but there was one extremely close call that Kelly had to escape. Danielle explained, “At one point I was in a bad position” and Khan had Kelly’s back. Khan nearly had Danielle in a rear-naked choke-hold, but Kelly was able to keep her calm and “didn’t let that get [her].”
Kelly’s Catch and Leg Entanglements
A good portion of the match included leg entanglements that had the crowd on their toes. In their last match, Khan’s expertise in leg submissions and entanglements left Kelly a bit frozen but she assured that wouldn’t be the same this time around. Kelly knew that “she wanted to get a leg on me” but that her and her “team worked on that scenario for months” so she could combat it.
Kelly explained a key moment: “There was one transition where I opened her guard, we did a lot of stacking, and I pulled her heel towards my hip and I went for her heel, heel hook to toe hold. That’s what got me the catch.”
Danielle Kelly’s Hard Work Led to Victory
There’s no denying that Danielle Kelly had been working diligently for months to prepare for this fight. Throughout the week you could hear the passion and fire in her voice to seal the victory and she was able to do just that. Kelly’s performance was a compilation of years of hard work, early mornings, and tuning out the negative voices that doubted her. As we talked with Kelly, she beamed with joy and said “I know my parents would be proud, especially my mom.”
Danielle Kelly secured the victory and now holds the first ever ONE Atomweight Women’s Grappling World Champion Title just like she predicted earlier this week “Danielle Kelly “Can’t Wait to Beat Khan” at ONE Fight Night 14.”
How to Watch ONE Fight Night 14?
If you missed out on the action at ONE Fight Night 14, you can always access the fights on Prime Video!
Full Interview:
