Danielle Kelly gets giddy after she and Demetrious Johnson geeked out over video games
Danielle Kelly has become one of the rising stars in ONE Championship. With the platform that the promotion has put submission grappling on, it gives competitors like Kelly a chance to showcase their skills alongside fellow champions in other disciplines.
When she isn’t wrapping up necks and cashing bonus checks, Kelly spends some of her time gaming. In an interview with ONE Championship, the 27-year old spoke about how she shares this passion with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
The two crossed paths earlier in the year and Kelly reflected on this experience, which saw her get to talk about her passion with a fellow gamer and elite competitor:
“I know, DJ - Demetrious Johnson, likes to play a lot. I actually like that, before I knew about him because he was very into gaming. And actually, at ONE X, the last event we did, we actually talked a little bit about gaming. And it's pretty cool because someone that high level, with a huge following or anything. The fact that he went out of his way to have a conversation with me about video games was very trippy, I don't know how else to put it.”
At ONE on Prime Video 4, Danielle Kelly got off the mark in ONE Championship by picking up her first submission win inside the circle.
“They're all from all over the world” - Diversity is what drew Danielle Kelly to ONE Championship
Submission grappler Danielle Kelly joined ONE Championship with all the potential to become a star. The American is part of the promotion's growing submission grappling roster that already features a pair of ONE grappling world champions in Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo.
With the chance to compete in submission grappling with a platform like ONE Championship, it’s become a home for some of the sport’s rising stars.
In an interview with the Asian organization, Danielle Kelly spoke about being drawn to ONE Championship and the factors that swayed her decision to join their roster:
"I think it's just that they're more entertaining, you know. It's the respect, the fighters, they're all from all over the world. I think they are, and, you know, they're one of the most viewed martial arts promotions that are watched. I think those are the main two or three things that make ONE Championship stand out from the others."
After drawing her debut bout, Danielle Kelly made short work of her second opponent Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4, submitting her via rear-naked choke.