Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s Danielle Kelly has broken her silence regarding her departure from ONE Championship, revealing that the split was mutual rather than a punitive release following consecutive losses. In a candid video and social media exchange, Kelly clarified the circumstances that led to her exit from the Singapore-based promotion.
Kelly, who signed with ONE Championship in December 2022, initially found success and satisfaction with the organization.
“In the beginning, I did. You know, I was really happy and satisfied,”
Kelly explained in her video. As the first female to compete in a pure jiu-jitsu match for ONE Championship, she helped establish the women’s grappling division and brought significant viewership to the sport.
However, the competitive landscape began to shift as time progressed. Despite her early momentum including two submission victories, Kelly found herself competing less frequently than anticipated.
“Later on going into the years it seemed to kind of slow down for whatever reason,”
she noted, expressing frustration with the reduced activity.
The situation reached a tipping point when Kelly sought clarity about her competition schedule. In a social media response to a fan, she revealed the decisive moment:
“when i asked for matches and they were making decisions (one and matchmakers) of my grappling career and getting offers from other promotions i asked when i was competing next and they apparently had no plans. so we only SUGGESTED a release.”
Kelly emphasized that her departure wasn’t connected to her recent losses as many assumed.
“I was still being taken care of from my one championship. So, it wasn’t just right after that I um had gotten cut,”
she clarified, pushing back against articles suggesting she was released immediately following defeats.
The matchmaking process became particularly contentious before her final bout. Kelly revealed she was pressured into accepting a rematch, with matchmakers indicating that refusing would result in an indefinite wait for her next competition.
“I was kind of like talked into taking the match because it was it was brought to me from the matchmaker saying if I didn’t take the match, I wouldn’t know when the next time I was competing.”
This uncertainty ultimately led to a six-to-seven-month period without scheduled matches, contradicting her original agreement for four to five per year.
“The agreement was just competing a lot and having like four or five matches a year and then that’s kind of what I signed up for,”
Kelly stated.
Facing an unclear competitive future with ONE Championship, Kelly and her team made the pragmatic decision to request their release.
“If there’s no matches being planned, like, should we just ask for a release?”
she recalled thinking.
Despite the circumstances of her departure, Kelly maintains a professional stance toward ONE Championship, acknowledging that
“they took care of me to a degree.”
Now exploring her options as a free agent, Kelly remains committed to competing and
“showcasing my jiu-jitsu and putting on exciting matches”
while carefully considering her next career move.
