On Sept. 29, reside from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ONE Championship will crown its inaugural Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion at ONE Combat Night time 14, when Danielle Kelly takes on Jessa Khan throughout an all-female card set to be broadcast reside on Prime Video.
Right here, in an unique interview with M&F, Kelly opens up about her difficult begin in grappling, the extreme coaching that she undergoes, and a “bizarre” meditation method that relaxes her on the finish of every demanding day.
Now 27 years of age, Danielle Kelly’s journey to grappling greatness serves as inspiration for any fledgling athlete. Whereas she is understood immediately as an elite competitor that has defeated the likes of the previous UFC Ladies’s Strawweight champ; Carla Esparza and is revered for her huge arsenal of submissions, medical takedowns, and superior conditioning, the street to the highest has been a bumpy one to say the least. Bullied when shifting to a brand new college on the age of 10, Kelly vowed to take management of her personal future.
Whereas she already had some karate expertise, shifting properties had meant she wanted to search for a brand new coach. “I didn’t know what jiu-jitsu was, again then, it was round 2006, so jiujitsu wasn’t actually as common as MMA,” explains Kelly, who at the moment weighed round 60 kilos and was maybe an all too straightforward goal. “Fortunately, the place I used to be dwelling at, two blocks up was a (jiu-jitsu) fitness center … Dad discovered it on-line however then my mother took me there … I initially wished to be taught placing as a result of I went from karate to jiu-jitsu, however on the time I didn’t know what jiu-jitsu or something like that was, so I used to be like; ‘yeah, I wanna lean how one can combat, as a result of I’m being bullied quite a bit.”
Danielle Kelly Discovered That Grappling Is Good for Taking Down Bigger Opponents
Grappling with jiujitsu, Kelly quickly realized that there was extra to defeating an opponent than strikes, incomes the understanding that jiujitsu prepares you for larger opponents, and methods of defending your self ought to a combat go to floor. “My first ever class, truly, was in a sparring class going in opposition to boys and I took them down,” beams Kelly. “I realized my first rear bare choke, which I actually love, and do in my matches nonetheless, and yeah, the remaining is historical past.”
Simply 4 months into her jiu-jitsu coaching, Kelly entered her first match, and a ardour for competing was significantly ignited. In eighth grade, Kelly was shoved within the hallway. Her instincts kicked in and he or she decked the bully with a double leg takedown. “I did really feel dangerous, as a result of this individual didn’t know how one can defend herself,” displays the coed grappler on her newfound powers. She was suspended for 2 days on account of that brawl, however not everybody was dissatisfied in her. “My dad took me to Dunkin’ Donuts … we had Pumpkin Munchkins, good instances, and I didn’t get in hassle [at home]…” Tragically, Kelly misplaced each of her mother and father to sickness as a younger grownup, however says that she is perpetually motivated by what they did for her each bodily and mentally, and looks like every combat is about making them happy with their daughter.
To construct her expertise whereas nonetheless at school, Kelly had additionally joined the college wrestling group. “No lady had ever joined the wrestling group,” she says of being the one feminine in a male dominated world, and recollects that she typically felt undesirable as a teammate. At highschool, in her sophomore yr, Kelly recollects a very upsetting incident when the wrestling group had a bunch image, and he or she was the one individual not given an official sweatshirt to put on. As an alternative, she needed to put on the long-sleeve shirt that was worn by the feminine managers. Then there was the highschool wrestling coach that by no means travelled to any of her wrestling meets. Understandably, she felt fully unsupported. “I needed to see plenty of imply issues as a child,” she shares.
In looking for the positives in her journey to date, Kelly now understands that being pressured to grapple with boys and later males was a sure-fire means of constructing energy and enhancing her jiujitsu method. Kelly’s dad had launched her to the advantages of weights and cardio from a younger age, and so she additionally feels that her early begin in constructing conditioning offered a fantastic benefit to her profession. Today, there are numerous extra ladies in full-contact sports activities, and it’s because of courageous trailblazers like Danielle Kelly that the subsequent technology can see themselves represented and really feel like they’ll become involved too.
Danielle Kelly Is Coaching to Use All Her Instruments Forward of ONE Atomweight Championship Conflict
Kelly finally settled on the Silver Fox BJJ dojo underneath the legendary coach, Karel Pravec, and earned a black belt by the point she was 24. In February, 2022, Kelly signed with ONE Championship and in her debut there, she drew with the Japanese veteran, Mei Yamaguchi however earned the “Efficiency of the Night time” gong for her efforts. Kelly gained her second match, and one other efficiency of the evening award when she defeated the Sambo World Champion, Mariia Molchanova along with her beloved rear bare chokehold. Then Kelly battled to a unanimous choice over Ayaka Miura, and is now heading into her all-important championship conflict with Jessa Khan, to be contested contained in the cage, with nice momentum.
“With the cage being added, it’s a instrument for use in technique,” says Kelly who understands that the partitions of the cage can be utilized to assist achieve management of a combat, however this added dimension may check the conditioning of all who enter into it. “My focus for the previous few weeks has been drilling. I get up, I practice each morning,” By 9 a.m., Kelly is sweating it out within the dojo for 3 hours. Within the afternoons, she goes for a run or lifts weights to construct muscle endurance. From 5pm to six.30 p.m. Kelly teaches jiujitsu after which she continues her personal coaching till 10pm or generally midnight relying on journey.
Danielle Kelly Makes use of a ‘Bizarre’ Meditation Method to Unwind After Intense Coaching
“So, I really feel like jiu-jitsu, even simply understanding normally has given me plenty of confidence and helped my vanity,” says Kelly. However when it’s time to cease and unwind, she has her personal means of switching off and this contains her deaf, 5 yr outdated canine Griffith and a few high quality display time. “Once I like to come back house from a protracted coaching session, he’s there, he’s my buddy, like, he helps me calm down, we watch jiu-jitsu matches collectively (laughs). I get made enjoyable of individuals assume it’s bizarre, however it’s simply how I meditate. However, the week of my match, I’ll both watch plenty of anime, like Avatar, or one thing like thrilling anime exhibits or horror films the place somebody, it’s like gore and bloody … I’m kinda loopy in order that’s what retains me content material.”
Proper earlier than a match, Kelly meditates once more by enjoyable her thoughts, in order that she shouldn’t be too inflexible earlier than it begins. “Fake prefer it’s simply one other day at work and simply drift,” she explains. With simply days to go earlier than the largest evening of her life, Kelly is grateful to people who have supported her. “It’s actually cool to be a part of this expertise, and I simply wanna show what I can do, and to showcase my jiu-jitsu.” For more information on ONE Combat Night time 14 on Prime Video go to onefc.com.
