‘Representing Jiu-Jitsu Girls’ – Trailblazing Grappler Danielle Kelly Embraces Her Position As A Role Model
Former ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Danielle Kelly has wholeheartedly embraced her status as an inspiration for countless youngsters around the globe.
The American superstar will soon return to action when she challenges reigning titleholder Mayssa Bastos on December 6 in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video.
Set for Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, that World Title clash will be a rematch of the pair’s closely contested bout this past August at ONE Fight Night 24, which saw Bastos win the belt via decision.
Now in the thick of her training camp, Kelly took some time out of her schedule to speak with onefc.com about becoming a globally recognized athlete and the responsibility of being a role model.
She said that for many years, only men were sought after as BJJ instructors – but that has changed in recent years:
“You’d be surprised, even at where I train, I always have people, especially moms, they bring their kids for either private lessons or just to train with me. But it’s surprising because back then, I feel like that wasn’t very common. Usually, it was common for the big names, for the guys.”
There’s no doubt that Kelly is now a “big name.” She is a veteran of five thrilling submission grappling bouts in ONE and has competed on some of the organization’s biggest blockbuster cards.
The Philadelphia native knows she’s gained legions of fans over the years, but beyond her growing fame, she is primarily concerned with proudly representing women in her sport:
“When I go out there, sometimes I kinda have to remind myself – we always forget when we have a lot of distractions in life – but, at the end of the day, especially when I’m competing out there, I’m representing females. I’m representing jiu-jitsu girls.”
When she’s not focused on her own training, Kelly teaches BJJ and travels to run seminars.
As one of the most recognizable figures in the sport, she said the most rewarding part of teaching is how excited the kids are to work with her:
“I have the kids that I teach right now at training, they always wanna work with me. They always want to learn. They just wanna keep learning, which is a plus because I feel like most times, kids just kinda go with the flow or they don’t care.
“But when it comes to me, it’s like, ‘Oh, wow. Danielle’s teaching. I wanna pay attention to what she’s doing.’ So, yeah, it’s a cool feeling.
“It’s cool to try to guide kids, especially the younger generation because they definitely need that. They need a role model, a good role model to look up to.”
Kelly Also Excited To Help Lead The Charge For Girls In Wrestling
Danielle Kelly was a trailblazer for women in the grappling arts long before she became a ONE superstar.
As a teen, she was the only girl on her school’s wrestling team:
“Women’s wrestling definitely wasn’t what it is now. It’s more today than back then, and I feel old saying that. But, you know, when I was wrestling in high school, I was the only girl on the boys’ team for high school and middle school. And I felt like I had this chip on my shoulder. I’m wrestling the guys. I’m kinda out there by myself.”
Since her time on the otherwise all-boys team, girls wrestling has exploded in America and is now the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Kelly is immensely proud to have played a small part in inspiring other young women to follow in her footsteps:
“Maybe the girls that watched me from when they were like 4 or 5, they’re in high school wrestling now because of me. It’s a humbling, but also a cool feeling because maybe I got them into the sport, or I gave them the confidence that they can do it, too.
“It’s an emotional feeling, but that’s why I do this. It’s for them and helping the next generation.”
