“The only reason I got into it” - Danielle Kelly added wrestling to her game to improve her jiu-jitsu

Reigning and undisputed ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly of the United States knew that to become the best grappler she could be, she needed to add one crucial facet to her game.

This is why the 28-year-old decided to add wrestling to her repertoire long ago when she was still traversing the world of 'the gentle art'.

Speaking on a guest appearance on The Few Will Hunt show, Kelly talked about incorporating wrestling into her grappling skill set.

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The atomweight grappling queen said:

"I wrestled from sixth grade to senior. I was in freestyle. I forgot. So actually, even in my first tournament ever, and I wanted to do more, after the Battle of the Beach. Now we're talking like 2007 and my coach at the time was like, maybe you should start doing wrestling, you'll work on your takedowns. That's the only reason I got into it. It helped with my takedowns a lot. My confidence with that. Met friends from from like Abington. It gave me a lot of confidence. And then I fell in love with wrestling."

Today, Kelly is one of the most dangerous submission artists in the world, and her wrestling has proven to be a huge part of her game.

Catch Danielle Kelly in action this August as she defends her gold against a dangerous Brazilian foe.

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Danielle Kelly to defend atomweight belt against Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video

Danielle Kelly is set to make the first defense of her ONE women's atomweight submission grappling world title against accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu veteran Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, Aug. 2.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.

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