"Make sure you make a statement" - Danielle Kelly recalls her first time in BJJ class after getting bullied in school

Danielle Kelly has had a lot of twists and turns in life that have led to her becoming an elite grappler and world champion. Becoming a black belt at just age 24, four years later, she is the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion.

However, despite all the success that she has achieved in her career, this journey started under very different circumstances. Kelly found her way into martial arts at a young age because she was bullied at a young age.

Eventually, at the age of 10, she began training so that she could defend herself and never looked back from this point on.

In a recent appearance on The Few Will Hunt Show, she spoke about how it was her dad who pushed her to start training so that she could stand up to the bullies and send them a message:

"My dad that day, he was like, you're going, you're whether you like it or not, you're going to be in this class. And the next time someone puts their hands on you, you make sure you make a statement, that's what I did."

Watch the full interview below:

Danielle Kelly is now competing on a global stage

One of the massive benefits of training in martial arts from a young age is gaining the confidence to stand up for yourself but Danielle Kelly has taken that and so much more from it.

The world champion is set to be back in action at ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2 where she makes the first defense of her title against Mayssa Bastos.

Kelly may have had her struggles in life but by overcoming them, she can look to be an inspiration to other young girls that may be in a similar position.

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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