Danielle Kelly says she learned her first takedown from karate: "I didn't know what I was doing"

Danielle Kelly has arrived at many crossroads during her life where she has been forced to make a big decision.

One of the most important calls that she ever had to make was somewhat made for her because of what she was experiencing.

At a young age, Kelly dealt with bullying on a regular basis which pushed her in the direction of martial arts.

Along with wanting to be able to defend herself, it would no doubt be good for her confidence as a young woman.

This eventually manifested itself as jiu-jitsu but before she made her way onto the mats, striking was the first option that she pursued.

During a recent appearance on The Few Will Hunt Show, Kelly spoke about how she actually learned her first grappling techniques whilst training self-defense in a karate school:

"[My brother and I] did the first month at this Tiger Schulman school, and learned how to defend, like grips, someone grabs your wrist, or whatever. I learned my first ever double take down, and I didn't know what I was doing. It was all new to me."

Watch the full interview below:

Danielle Kelly made it to where she needed to be

Every twist and turn in the story of Danielle Kelly eventually paid off for her.

It would have been difficult to convince her of that at the time with everything that she was going through but it all worked out for the best.

Even starting with striking before finding her way to jiu-jitsu ended up being a crucial aspect of her journey even if learning how to grapple was never part of the plan.

She now stands tall as the ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship, a belt that signifies her dedication and self-belief.

Kelly is set to defend the title at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2 when she clashes with Mayssa Bastos inside Lumpinee Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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