“Get her trapped in my style” - Danielle Kelly aims to pull the trigger first and draw Mayssa Bastos into her game
Danielle Kelly plans on making her next opponent as uncomfortable as possible.
This Friday night, August 2, Kelly will step back inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok set to defend her ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship for the first time since her impressive title victory over Jessa Khan nearly a year ago.
ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video will see Kelly put her gold up for grabs against eight-time BJJ world champion Mayssa Bastos.
Offering some insight into her game plan, Kelly revealed that her focus is more on dragging Bastos into her style rather than concerning herself with what the Brazilian submission star brings to the table—or in this case, the ring.
"I don't want to focus too much on what she's good at," Kelly said during an appearance on the Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu podcast. "It's just more so like how can I make her uncomfortable or how can I do X, Y, Z, and make her react, and get her trapped in my style, you know? She has good reactions."
Danielle Kelly takes on her toughest test yet against eight-time BJJ champion Mayssa Bastos
Danielle Kelly will be making her fifth appearance for the promotion at ONE Fight Night 24, having already earned noteworthy wins over Mariia Molchanova, Ayaka Miura, and the aforementioned Jessa Khan in her last three outings.
But with all due respect to those names, the Silver Fox BJJ star has never faced a foe quite as accomplished as Mayssa Bastos. At just 26 years old, Bastos has already topped the podium at some of the biggest BJJ tournaments on the planet, including the IBJJF European, Pans, and World Championship.
In 2018, she was the second-ranked UAEJJF Female Athlete of the Year and also placed first at the WNO Championships in 2021.
Will Bastos add another massive accomplishment to her resume in her second promotional appearance, or will Danielle Kelly score arguably the biggest win of his career thus far?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 24 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 2.