‘I Know I Can Beat Her’ – Danielle Kelly Oozes Confidence Ahead Of World Title Rematch With Mayssa Bastos

Danielle Kelly won’t hold anything back when she rematches Mayssa Bastos for the ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title on December 6 in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

That night, the elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts will run back their unforgettable August clash that saw Bastos wrest the belt away from the American superstar.

In their first encounter, the Brazilian employed her trademark open-guard game to fend off Kelly’s relentless guard-passing attempts and ultimately walk away with a closely contested decision and 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.

That match marked the first defeat of Kelly’s ONE tenure and her first loss in nearly three years.

Now the challenger and no longer the World Champion, she told onefc.com that she’s approaching the second battle with a different mindset:

“This time around, I don’t feel any pressure. I don’t feel any stress this time, which is pretty scary just because you’re kind of going out there, and you’re having this mindset of not having anything to lose. I’m just gonna go after her this time.”

On paper, Kelly went into her first clash with Bastos as the underdog. After all, the 27-year-old Brazilian is an incredible nine-time IBJJF World Champion and widely recognized as the greatest competitor of all time in BJJ’s lightest weight divisions.

But after 10 fast-paced minutes of back-and-forth action, the Philadelphia native proved not only that she belongs on the same level as her decorated rival – but also that she has the skills to emerge victorious. In fact, many viewers thought Kelly deserved the judges’ nod.

With that in mind, the former titleholder said she won’t be intimidated by Bastos’ accolades:

“I know I can beat her. Many people thought I beat her, not just my fans, it’s just the viewers that were watching the match.

“I felt like I was putting a lot of pressure on myself when I shouldn’t. I was kinda giving her too much credit, which she deserves. Like, I’m not discrediting her or talking trash. I kinda put myself in a negative position where I was like, ‘Oh, man. She’s this and that.’ When I should’ve just gone out there and just not cared who she is, just go out there and attack.”

Kelly’s shift in mindset could make her a more dangerous grappler on December 6.

She said that if there’s one lesson to be learned from her first match with Bastos, it’s that the latter is far from invincible.

When they lock horns in Thailand next week, Kelly plans to pick up where she left off and get right to submission hunting:

“She’s definitely beatable and submittable. The last couple seconds [of the first match], if there was a minute or two more, she was gonna get submitted.”

Kelly Details Her Motivations For ONE Fight Night 26

Even though Danielle Kelly is approaching her rematch with Mayssa Bastos with a confident yet carefree attitude, that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty on the line.

The former atomweight submission grappling queen admits she’s thinking about the opportunity to reclaim her World Title – and the recognition that would come along with a win over one of BJJ’s best ever.

She spoke about what’s fueling her:

“Well, one is getting my belt back.

“But, two, it’s definitely beating Mayssa, because, again, I don’t care about the numbers and rankings. But she is the most decorated girl in our weight class and below. So, beating her would definitely put me up there.

“I feel like I am legit now, but I feel like just beating her, putting her name on my record of beating her, will just put me way higher.”

Beyond the World Title that will be up for grabs, Kelly is focused on entertaining.

It’s her aggressive, fearless approach to submission grappling that’s gained her legions of fans around the globe, and she aims to showcase that crowd-pleasing style yet again at ONE Fight Night 26:

“I just wanna go out there and put on a good performance because that’s why people watch me – because I put on exciting matches. So if I don’t put on an exciting match, or if it’s not an exciting match, then I’m gonna be disappointed.”