ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Danielle Kelly has her first title defense locked in for ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2.
The American submission ace became the inaugural women’s atomweight submission grappling queen with a dominant unanimous decision win over archrival Jessa Khan this past September.
Following the landmark victory, Kelly told ONE that she was ready to have the target firmly on her back as the face of her division.
“This means that the next one’s not gonna be easy. I have to work really hard, but this means that I’m a warrior,” she said.
“Again, I worked really hard for this, and I’m a champion, and I’m just proud to be the face of ONE Championship’s atomweight submission grappling division and the face of women’s jiu-jitsu.”
Kelly remains undefeated in four appearances on the global stage since making her ONE debut in 2022. But the next one, as the 28-year-old predicted, could be her toughest test yet.
Danielle Kelly to face Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24
Danielle Kelly will defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title for the first time against Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24.
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Bastos is widely regarded as one of the greatest grappling competitors to ever grace the lighter weight classes, with a polished guard game and the uncanny ability to take her opponent’s back from almost any position.
The Brazilian’s resume backs up that sentiment, with a staggering nine IBJJF World Titles to her name, as well as multiple Brazilian National, European, and Pan-American Titles.
Bastos signed with ONE to much fanfare earlier this year, and she made good on her promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 20 in March. That night, she dominated powerful Japanese athlete Kanae Yamada over 10 minutes to record a unanimous decision victory.
The 26-year-old now has her sights set on the biggest prize of all – the 26-pound gold ONE World Title.
On the other side, Kelly has wins over former Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova, former MMA World Title challenger Ayaka Miura, and IBJJF World Champion Khan on her record.
The Silver Fox BJJ representative will hope to use her superior experience on the big stage under ONE’s submission grappling rule set to her advantage, as she bids to remain at the top of the promotion’s burgeoning women’s atomweight submission grappling division.