Danielle Kelly determined to reclaim grappling crown at ONE Fight Night 26
Former ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Danielle Kelly enters the biggest bout of her career next week, and she’s determined to leave Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium as queen once again.
The American submission artist meets reigning divisional queen Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov, on Friday, December 6, in an immediate rematch following their August encounter.
Kelly was outpointed by the Brazilian across the 10-minute affair at ONE Fight Night 24. She lost the gold and tasted defeat for the first time in ONE. But entering the rematch, the New Jersey grappler is more confident than ever that she can dominate Bastos.
“I know I can beat her. Many people thought I beat her, not just my fans, it’s just the viewers that were watching the match,” she said.
“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.”
Danielle Kelly believes beating Mayssa Bastos will cement her status in ONE
Danielle Kelly might have come up short to newly minted queen Mayssa Bastos last time. But she believes she’s found the key to end the Brazilian’s reign.
Analyzing their initial bout this summer, Kelly felt she was close to submitting Bastos. But time was not on her side. Should she score a finish next week, Kelly believes her status will enter a whole new realm.
“She’s definitely beatable and submittable. The last couple seconds [of the first match], if there was a minute or two more, she was gonna get submitted,” Kelly said.
“I feel like I am legit now, but I feel like just beating her, putting her name on my record of beating her, will just put me way higher.”
