Danielle Kelly is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and American submission grappler. She was born on December 4, 1995, and is presently competing in the ONE Championship.
Before she started competing in tournaments, Kelly used to be a ring girl.
In October 2020, Kelly defeated Roxanne Modafferi, a former UFC combatant. The two competed in the main event at Submission Hunter Pro 60, and Kelly submitted her via toehold.
Kelly made her Who’s Number One debut in February 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones v Ronaldo Junior. This is where she was defeated by Jessa Khan by unanimous decision.
In June 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones vs. Tye Ruotolo, she made a comeback and defeated Jessica Crane with a kneebar in the first match. She earned an invitation to compete for a title in the Women’s Strawweight category of the Who’s Number One Championships.
In the first round, Kelly was defeated by Grace Gundrum through unanimous decision.
Kelly then submitted Jessica Crane via heelhook in the first round of the consolation bracket. She was not able to compete in the third-place match as Tammi Musumeci submitted her with an armlock.
On October 29, 2021, Kelly faced Cathryn Millares in the co-main event of Fury Pro Grappling 2. She ended up winning the match via unanimous decision.
In December 2021, Kelly was supposed to face Rose Namajunas at Fury Pro Grappling 3. Carla Esparza was brought in to fill in for Namajunas, who was forced to drop out of the competition at the last minute owing to a positive Covid-19 test.
During the match, Esparza smashed Kelly from full guard. The head-on collision that followed left Esparza with a gash above her eyebrow. Due to the injury, the doctors decided to call off the match and Kelly was given the win.
Kelly signed a contract with ONE Championship on February 17, 2022. This allowed her to compete in both grappling and mixed martial arts.
At ONE: X in March 2022, Kelly competed in her first professional match against Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in an atomweight submission grappling contest. After neither competitor was able to get the submit, the bout finished in a draw.
In November 2022, Kelly competed against Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4. She used a rear-naked choke to win the match. She also received the Performance of the Night award thanks to her win.
In February 2023, Kelly competed against Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7. She was declared the winner by a unanimous vote.
Kelly and Jessa Khan are scheduled to compete in a rematch for the first ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship. The match will take place on September 29, 2023 at ONE Fight Night 14.
Kelly currently competes for the Silver Fox BJJ team and works with coach Karel Pravec. She has participated in competitions like WNO, EBI, ADCC Trials, and others.
