Danielle Kelly (grappler)
Danielle Kelly (born December 4, 1995) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who is currently the ONE Champion at atomweight.[2] She has wins over IBJJF World Champion Jessa Khan, Roxanne Modafferi, Cynthia Calvillo and the former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza.[3][4] She is the current and inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion.
| Danielle Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 4, 1995 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 115 lb (52 kg) |
| Division | Atomweight |
| Team | Silver Fox BJJ Evolve MMA |
| Rank | 1st degree black belt in BJJ under Karel Pravec[1] |
Career
Fury Pro Grappling
Kelly fought against Cathryn Millares in the co-main event of Fury Pro Grappling 2 on October 29, 2021 and won the match by unanimous decision.[5]Kelly was scheduled to face Rose Namajunas at Fury Pro Grappling 3 on December 30, 2021.[6] However, Namajunas was forced to withdraw from the event at the last minute due to a positive Covid-19 test and was replaced by Carla Esparza. During the match, Esparza slammed Kelly from full guard and the resulting clash of heads opened up a cut above Esparza's eyebrow. The doctors attending called the match off and the victory was awarded to Kelly as a result of the injury.[7]
Who's Number One
Kelly made her debut for Who's Number One on February 26, 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones v Ronaldo Junior, where she lost a unanimous decision to Jessa Khan.[8] She returned on June 18, 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones v Tye Ruotolo and submitted Jessica Crane with a kneebar in the first match of the event.[9] These performances earned her an invitation to compete for a title in the Women's Strawweight division of the Who's Number One Championships on September 25-26, 2021.[10] Kelly lost by unanimous decision to Grace Gundrum in the opening round, before submitting Jessica Crane with a heelhook in the first round of the consolation bracket. She was then submitted with an armlock by Tammi Musumeci and did not make it to the third-place final match.[11]
ONE Championship
On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Kelly signed with ONE Championship to compete in grappling, as well as mixed martial arts if she wished to.[12]
Kelly made her promotional debut against Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in an atomweight submission grappling match at ONE: X on March 26, 2022.[13] The match ended in a draw after neither could find the submission.[14] This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.[15]
Kelly faced Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 19, 2022.[16] She won the fight via rear-naked choke.[17] This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.[18]
Kelly faced Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 25, 2023.[19] She won the match by unanimous decision.[20]
ONE Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship
Kelly faced Jessa Khan in a rematch for the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship on September 30, 2023 at ONE Fight Night 14.[21] Kelly won the match by decision and became the promotion's first female submission grappling world champion.[22]
Other Promotions
Kelly fought UFC veteran Roxanne Modafferi in the main event of Submission Hunter Pro 60 on October 25, 2020, submitting her with a toehold.[23]
She fought at the inaugural UFC Fightpass Invitational on December 16, 2021, taking on Alexa Yanes. Kelly lost the match via split decision.[24]
Instructor lineage
Kano Jigoro → Tomita Tsunejirō → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Renzo Gracie → Karel Pavec → Danielle Kelly[25]
Championships and accomplishments
- ONE Championship
- ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion (One time; current; inaugural)
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Mei Yamaguchi and Mariia Molchanova[15][18]
- RISE Invitational
- Rise Invitational 3 125 lbs Championship (2018)[26]
- Submission Hunter Pro
- SHP 130lbs No Gi Champion[27]
Submission grappling record
| 29 matches | 19 wins | 9 losses |
| By submission | 14 | 3 |
| By decision | 5 | 6 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Type | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 20–9–1 |  Jessa Khan |
Decision (unanimous) | ONE Fight Night 14 | −115 lbs | Nogi | September 29, 2023 |  Kallang |
| Win | 19–9–1 |  Ayaka Miura |
Decision (unanimous) | ONE Fight Night 7 | −119 lbs | Nogi | February 24, 2023 |  Bangkok |
| Win | 18–9–1 |  Mariia Molchanova |
Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE on Prime Video 4 | −115 lbs | Nogi | November 18, 2022 | Kallang |
| Draw | 17–9–1 | Mei Yamaguchi |
Draw (time expire) | ONE: X | −115 lbs | Nogi | March 26, 2022 | Kallang |
| Win | 17–9 |  Carla Esparza |
Doctor stoppage (cut) | Fury Pro Grappling 3 | −115 lbs | Nogi | December 30, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Loss | 16–9 | Alexa Yanes |
Decision (split) | UFC Fight Pass Invitational | −125 lbs | Nogi | December 16, 2021 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Win | 16–8 | Cathryn Millares |
Decision | Fury Pro Grappling 2 | −115 lbs | Nogi | October 29, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Loss | 15–8 | Tammi Musumeci |
Submission (armlock) | Who's Number One Championship | –115 lbs | Nogi | September 26, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 15–7 | Jessica Crane |
Submission (inside heel hook) | |||||
| Loss | 14–7 | Grace Gundrum |
Decision | September 25, 2021 | ||||
| Win | 14–6 | Sofia Amarante |
Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fury Pro Grappling 1 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 2, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Win | 13–6 | Jessica Crane |
Submission (kneebar) | WNO: Craig Jones vs Tye Ruotolo | −115 lbs | Nogi | June 18, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Loss | 12–6 | Jessa Khan |
Decision | WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior | −115 lbs | Nogi | February 26, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 12–5 | Roxanne Modafferi |
Submission (toe hold) | Sumision Hunter Pro 60 | −130 lbs | Nogi | October 25, 2020 | Houston, TX |
| Loss | 11–5 | Grace Gundrum |
Fastest Escape Time | Jiu-Jitsu Over Time: The Featherweights | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 19, 2020 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Loss | 11–4 | Nicole Sullivan |
Submission | 2020 IBJJF San Jose Open No Gi | −135.6 lbs | Nogi | February 25, 2020 | San Jose, CA |
| Win | 11–3 | Cynthia Calvillo |
Submission (ankle lock) | Quintet Ultra | −115 lbs | Nogi | December 12, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Win | 10–3 | Jillian DeCoursey |
Submission (kneebar) | Rise Invitational 8 | −115 lbs | Nogi | October 26, 2019 | Westbury, NY |
| Win | 9–3 | Brittany Way |
OT | 2019 SubStars at The Tank 2 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 19, 2019 | Miami, FL |
| Win | 8–3 | Mariuxi Llaguno |
Points | 2019 JitzKing Tampa | −125 lbs | Nogi | July 6, 2019 | Tampa, FL |
| Loss | 7–3 | Nicole Sullivan |
Submission | 2019 ADCC West Coast Trials | –60 kg | Nogi | February 9, 2019 | Burbank, CA |
| Win | 7–2 | Jessica Buchman |
Submission | |||||
| Win | 6–2 | Alison Stiegler |
Submission | |||||
| Loss | 5–2 | Rikako Yuasa |
Fastest Escape Time | EBI 18 | –115 lbs | Nogi | December 9, 2018 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 5–1 | Lilaa Smadja |
Submission (armbar) | |||||
| Win | 4–1 |  Bruna Bruns |
Submission (heel hook) | Fight 2 Win 81 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 21, 2018 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Win | 3–1 | Amanda Krammy |
Submission (armbar) | Rise Invitational 3 | –125 lbs | Nogi | January 13, 2018 | Westbury, NY |
| Win | 2–1 | Lauren Braccia |
Submission (armbar) | |||||
| Win | 1–1 | Lilaa Smadja |
OT | 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship | –125 lbs | Nogi | March 12, 2014 | Irvine, CA |
| Loss | 0–1 | Rikako Yuasa |
OT |
References
- "BJJ Star Danielle Kelly Signs With ONE Championship". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. February 18, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Danielle Kelly". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Danielle Kelly | FloGrappling | Grappling". www.flograppling.com. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Danielle Kelly | Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Danielle Kelly Discusses Her MMA Transition After Winning at Fury Pro Grappling 2". October 31, 2021.
- "FURY Grappling books Danielle Kelly vs. Rose Namajunas; Kevin Holland; others for Dec. 30 show". MMA Junkie. December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "FURY Pro Grappling 3 results: Carla Esparza's cut halts main event; Sean Brady upsets Craig Jones". MMA Junkie. December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Who's Number One: Craig Jones v Ronaldo Jr Full Results and Review". February 27, 2021.
- "Who's Number One: Craig Jones v Tye Ruotolo Full Results and Review". June 19, 2021.
- "WNO Championships Lineup Announced for 115lbs Division". July 30, 2021.
- "WNO Championships Full Results and Review". September 27, 2021.
- "BJJ Star Danielle Kelly Signs With ONE Championship". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. February 18, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "ONE X: Itsuki Hirata Draws Jihin Radzuan In MMA, Mei Yamaguchi Gets BJJ Star Danielle Kelly". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. March 2, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "ONE X results: Demetrious Johnson submits Rodtang in mixed-rules bout; Angela Lee retains title with finish". MMA Junkie. March 26, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "7 Fighters Earn US$50,000 Performance Bonuses At ONE X". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. March 28, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- Tang, Andrea (October 28, 2022). "BREAKING: Danielle Kelly to Face Russian Sambo Champ Mariia Molchanova on November 18". Jiu-Jitsu Times. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "ONE On Prime Video 4: Abbasov Vs. Lee – Results And Highlights For Every Fight". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Lee, Alexandre, Kelly Take Home $50K Performance Bonuses At ONE On Prime Video 4". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. November 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Danielle Kelly To Face Ayaka Miura In Submission Grappling Match At ONE On Prime Video 7". ONE Championship – The Home Of Martial Arts. December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "BJJ Reigns Supreme In ONE Fight Night 7 Results". JitsMagazine. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
- Phillips, Sabrina. "Danielle Kelly Faces Jessa Khan For First Women's Title At ONE Fight Night 14". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- "Danielle Kelly Wins First Female Submission Grappling Title At ONE Fight Night 14". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- "Submission Hunter Pro 60 Full Results and Review". October 26, 2020.
- "UFC Fight Pass Invitational 1 Full Results and Review". December 18, 2021.
- says, Jana Valkova-Gordon. "Karel Pravec, Silver Fox | BJJ Heroes". Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "RISE Invitational 3: Two Champions Crowned; Action-Packed Superfights". NewYorkFighting.com. January 16, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "Submission Hunter Pro 60 Full Results and Review". October 26, 2020.
- "2019 ADCC North American Trials: (West Coast) | Grappling Event". Tapology. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "EBI 18 Live Results". MMA Sucka. December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2022.