Danielle Kelly is one of the most well-known grapplers in the world. Kelly, who was born on December 4, 1995, has a first-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Karel Pravec. Her instructor lineage includes BJJ legends such as Helion Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr., and Renzo Gracie. She trains out of the Silver Fox BJJ gym in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.
Kelly, at the age of 27, has accomplished a lot in her career already. She currently holds a submission grappling record of 19-9, with 1 draw. In her last submission grappling match, Danielle Kelly beat Ayaka Miura via unanimous decision on February 24, 2023. However, prior to that, the Philadelphia native submitted her Russian opponent, Mariia Molchanova, on November 18, 2022.
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While Danielle Kelly is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, she is not the only youngster in the world of grappling. Jessa Khan, the Cambodian grappler, who was born on October 8, 2000, has beaten Danielle Kelly on February 26, 2021. Khan has had a decorated grappling career at a relatively young age. She won the gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
She also has a gold medal in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in No-gi Jiu-Jitsu. Other than that, she has a silver medal in Gi Jiu-Jitsu at the 2018 Southeast Asian Games and another bronze medal in No-gi Jiu-Jitsu at the 2023 European Championship. In comparison, Danielle Kelly has won championships in grappling at Submission Hunter Pro. She won the title at 130lbs as No-gi division.
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The 27-year-old won the RISE Invitational 125lbs championship in 2018. Other than that, Kelly has significant wins over UFC veterans like Cynthia Calvillo and Roxanne Modafferi. The grappler also has 14 submission wins in her career, with methods such as rear-nake choke, kneebars, and inside heel hook.
Danielle Kelly is set to rematch Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14
While Jessa Khan certainly holds the bragging rights at the moment, Danielle Kelly will soon have her shot at redemption. In the first grappling bout, Jessa Khan shocked the world when she beat Danielle Kelly via unanimous decision. Although she was not able to finish the contest via a submission, the 21-year-old annonced her arrival to the entire world.
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But she will have to repeat the history once more on September 29, 2023. The two will face off once more two-years later at ONE Championship Fight Night 14, which is available for the fans to watch Prime Video on September 29, 2023. Danielle Kelley stands at 5’4 and has a reach of 160 cm. On the other hand, Jessa Khan stands at 5ft tall. Despite the height disadvantage Khan has manged to get the better of her opponent.
Can Kelly overcome the odds and beat Jessa Khan this time around? Let us know in the comments down below.
