"It means I'm the best" - Danielle Kelly on the magnitude of beating decorated challenger Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24
Danielle Kelly is more than used to being the underdog both in life and her career.
It's a role that she has come to cherish because she tends to thrive in this position of proving people wrong time and time again.
She did just that at ONE Fight Night 14 last year where a win over Jessa Khan saw her become the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.
Now, Kelly is set to be the underdog once again as she prepares to make her first title defense in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 24.
Brazil's Mayssa Bastos is about as credentialed as they come in the grappling world.
She's won just about every accolade possible and faced all the top competitors along the way but now she's stepping into Kelly's territory.
The champion spoke in a recent interview with ONE Championship about how this contest excites her because of the pedigree that her opponent brings to the table:
"For sure. I'm gonna be the best. It means I'm the best 115-pounder because she's beaten every girl literally in the division, or I think every girl. For the most part, yeah, every girl. Every girl in gi and no-gi."
Danielle Kelly isn't fazed by people counting her out
A defining quality of the run that Danielle Kelly has had in ONE Championship has been how her ability isn't necessarily reflected by what she has achieved.
The atomweight submission grappling champion can't match the stacked trophy cabinet of her next opponent but she doesn't let that define her as a competitor.
Kelly will be at her best in this contest and if Bastos gets overconfident even for a split second, she could find herself having the script flipped on her.
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.