Mayssa Bastos bares her mindset heading into Danielle Kelly world title fight: “I just want to prove to myself that I’m the best”
Mayssa Bastos isn't here because she needs to prove anything to anyone.
This Friday night, August 2, the accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu icon will make her sophomore appearance inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for a massive ONE title clash with reigning and defending atomweight submission grappling world champion, Danielle Kelly.
It will be Bastos' first time competing on martial arts' biggest global stage since scoring a decisive decision victory over Kanae Yamada at ONE Fight Night 20 in March.
Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Mayssa Bastos knows that she's in for a tough test, but she doesn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone with her performance. Well, anyone except herself.
"I don't feel like I need to prove anything to anyone," Bastos said. "I just want to prove to myself that I'm the best."
With 115 career wins and a laundry list of accomplishments, the only thing left for Bastos to do is win a ONE world title but to do it, she'll have to go through the face of women's BJJ.
Danielle Kelly knows it's going to be hard to break Mayssa Bastos
Little more than two years removed from her ONE Championship debut against Mei Yamaguchi, Danielle Kelly has risen to the top of the submission grappling realm, claiming the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world championship and making a name for herself the world over.
Having survived a gauntlet of tough and often oversized talent, including Mariia Molchanova, Ayaka Miura, and Cambodian-American rival Jessa Khan, Kelly may be in for her toughest test to date against Mayssa Bastos.
Still, that won't stop the defending champ from trying to break her opponent inside the Mecca of Muay Thai — even if she knows that doing so is a pretty tall task.
"I like to be humble," Kelly told ONE. "I don't like to kind of, like, say, ‘Oh, I'm gonna do this or that.’ I mean, we're also 115 pounders, so it's gonna be hard to break each other. But, realistically, that's what I wanna do."
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.