“She came really aggressive” - Mayssa Bastos admits she was surprised with Danielle Kelly’s pace at ONE Fight Night 24
Mayssa Bastos has completed her goal to claim the ONE atomweight submission grappling belt from its previous owner Danielle Kelly.
Competing in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 24 this last weekend, Bastos surprised everyone with her takedowns and submission attacks as she tried to overcome Kelly's aggressiveness at the beginning of the single-rounder.
Bastos believed that if given more time, she would have been able to force a tap from Kelly at the end of their intense 10-minute grappling affair. And she had expected her opponent's aggressiveness since before the match started.
The Brazilian shared how challenging the match was with ONE Championship in her post-fight interview:
"I think she came really aggressive. I was expecting [her to be] aggressive. I was kind of surprised, the way that she would do a little bit with the feet."
Despite facing tough opponent and relentless aggression, Bastos managed to ride the storm with her technical brilliance.
In the end of the grueling match, the nine-time BJJ world champion added another massive accomplishment to her decorated career, while also taking a cool $50,000 performance bonus along the way.
Mayssa Bastos reaffirmed her status as a world-class athlete
With her achievements before competing with ONE Championship, Mayssa Bastos has proven to be one of the best submission grapplers in the world.
Now, she has solidified that status by claiming the atomweight submission grappling belt over Danielle Kelly at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2.
Nonetheless, she didn't get it easy. Kelly was able to stay aggressive throughout the match, giving little chance for Bastos to steal the spotlight.
But the Brazilian rallied late to sway the decision and left the iconic Lumpinee Stadium with the golden belt and a performance bonus.
The replay for ONE Fight Night 24 is available on demand for all active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.