"The connection was right away" - Mayssa Bastos knew she wanted to be a BJJ world champion since day one
Every martial artist will have had a different path both into and through the journey that they go on and Mayssa Bastos is no exception.
Many may find that their passion for training and competing comes later in life or as a result of the time they have already put in from a young age.
For Bastos, it was effectively love at first sight between her and jiu-jitsu as she recently revealed in an interview with ONE Championship.
The Brazilian competitor may only be 26 years old but she has been dialed in to becoming the best grappler that she can possibly be from a very early stage.
Bastos spoke before her huge co-main event clash at Lumpinee Stadium on August 2 about how there was no need for a second option once she fell head over heels for jiu-jitsu:
"The connection was right away. I liked it since the first time I stepped on the mat and wanted to do it every day. In a short period, I already knew what I wanted. I wanted to be a black belt and a world champion. It was very fast in my head of wanting to pursue a career in jiu-jitsu."
Mayssa Bastos has had a very different experience compared to Danielle Kelly
In the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 24, Mayssa Bastos will be looking to dethrone the ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion, Danielle Kelly.
After opening her account in ONE Championship with a win this past March over Kanae Yamada, Bastos looks to pull off the biggest win of her career to date.
Whilst she was able to find her passion for jiu-jitsu from the very start, her opponent had a much more up and down experience.
She eventually also made the decision to commit to the sport and now both women sit at the very top of the atomweight division.
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live and free in US Primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.