Mayssa Bastos confident she would have tapped out Danielle Kelly with ‘a bit more time’
Mayssa Bastos believes she could've potentially submitted Danielle Kelly with "a bit more time."
On August 2, Bastos challenged Kelly for the ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world title. The nine-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion showcased various submission attempts during the ten-minute match before going to the scorecards. Nonetheless, Bastos won by unanimous decision to become the new champion.
Following her life-changing win, Bastos joined Sportskeeda MMA for a post-fight interview. The 26-year-old was satisfied with her performance but also had this to say about thinking she could've submitted Kelly:
"And maybe if I had a bit more time I'd be able to submit her."
Mayssa Bastos made her ONE Championship debut in March. The Brazilian showcased her world-class grappling skills with a unanimous decision win against Kanae Yamada, leading to her world title match against Danielle Kelly.
ONE Fight Night 24 went down inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The August 2 event featuring Mayssa Bastos vs Danielle Kelly in the co-main event can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Bastos' entire post-fight interview with Sportskeeda below:
What's next for Mayssa Bastos under the ONE Championship banner?
Mayssa Bastos has officially changed her role in the ONE women's atomweight submission grappling division by becoming the world champion. Many competitors will want to challenge Bastos for her new strap, but the question is, what's next for the Brazilian superstar?
Although it's unconfirmed by ONE, Bastos could face Danielle Kelly in an immediate rematch down the road. Some fans believe Kelly deserved to get her hand raised in the ONE Fight Night 24 co-main event.
Furthermore, Bastos and Kelly showcased arguably the most entertaining female submission grappling bout of the year. Therefore, the rematch would be the perfect addition to a high-profile event. It should be noted that ONE could go in a different direction and offer the atomweight queen a different challenge for her first defense.