Jiu-Jitsu Phenom, Danielle Kelly, Talks Early Days of Taking Down the Boys and Overcoming Grief

Danielle Kelly has moved to the forefront of the submission grappling world since her debut in ONE last year. On Friday, September 29, the Philadelphia native will try to avenge a previous loss and collect the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship when she meets Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video.

Kelly’s martial arts journey began like most, taking up karate when she was 10 years old. Though she now has an impressive martial arts career, she admits that her passion for competing didn’t grab hold right away.

However, the pride she saw her father had for her while in competition helped her interest develop quickly.

“So it was really, really cool and great to have like a big supporter and someone like by my side like want me to get better. And that’s one of the reasons I stuck with jiu-jitsu. Because every day, I’m reminded by him and his motivational words to me, every time I come home from a big tournament or something and I won,” Kelly recounted to ONE Championship.

“He’d be really excited to see it play from the camera and all my matches. And just seeing him smile and be really happy that he sees I’m enjoying this and I’m improving. That would be like one of the greatest memories.”

The stars of the martial arts world would soon align to bring her to the world of jiu-jitsu.

As Kelly’s father searched for a new gym for her after moving to a new area around Philadelphia, the world of MMA was beginning to take off and more schools began offering jiu-jitsu. The timing was right to push Kelly toward her destiny.

“I moved to Abington [Township] and the drive to the karate school was starting to become a little headache for my parents, so my dad started to explore. Back then he kind of had to print it out to look if there’s anything close by. And then that’s when jiu-jitsu and MMA were starting to be like a big thing, I guess,” Kelly continued.

“And I tried my first jiu-jitsu class. So I went against the boys and my coach at the time just figured it was a good idea to show me a few moves and it clicked right away. And we did a little two-minute sparring class and I just took down all the boys and, you know, I just fell in love with it since.”

But moving didn’t make it easy for her. The talented jiu-jitsu ace would have to start over and be the new kid.

Her parents never pushed her to continue training, though. Their support allowed her to find her love for the sport without creating resentment. And while on the mats, she soon found acceptance and friends.

“I was able to like kind of take out like all my like frustration or like my you know my like anger or whatever I had like just from moving cause I didn’t want to move. And you know, I met like my friends, like my friends there at my first jiu-jitsu school and I felt welcomed,” Kelly said.

Danielle KellyONE Championship

“I felt like my confidence was more ,getting better over time and you know my self-esteem was getting better too, you know, because I was kind of a chubby kid and sticking with jiu-jitsu, you know, kind of like kept me in shape.”

“Some kids don’t have some kind of sport or activity to stay busy, so I was really, I’m really grateful that you know, my parents took me to something early on cause a lot of people, not that it’s too late to start something, but especially like you wanna be a competitor – I’m really grateful that I started at a really young age so, that brings a smile to my face.”

Jiu-jitsu has been both a passion and a refuge for Kelly.

The 27-year-old unfortuantely lost both parents early in her life, and in the those dark days, competing allowed her a mental safe haven. She is still motivated by those memories of her parents and sees them as her reason to achieve greatness on a global platform.

“Jiu-jitsu and training was more like my escape, you know, dealing with things at home. I had to focus on school as well, and then go back to jitsu. My free time seeing my friends there, start preparing for tournaments, ‘cause that’s what really kept me busy mentally,” Kelly recalled.

“That’s why I do jiu-jitsu. I feel like when I compete, there’s like, especially right now, being under ONE, there’s a fire inside me. I think, looking back at my old matches, I’m totally different. Like I’m doing this, I’m here for a reason. Doing this for my parents and it’s really motivating.”

“Unfortunately, they’re not here, so my motivation just kind of goes towards showing them what they’ve done for me.”

Kelly now has a grand stage to inspire those who look up to her. Having experienced personal tragedy, she is able to impart wisdom to those struggling with their own problems.

“It all came down to who was really there for me to help me put me back on my feet. You know you have to be in the right mindset to really start improving yourself and everyone struggles. I made some mistakes over my life, but I made steps to getting better and improving myself,” Kelly said.

“I think just starting to keep yourself busy and be around those who love you and want to help you. You’ll go further in life. Just stay focused. Don’t have anyone distract you. Take it from me because I made a lot of mistakes coming up, but here I am. So, hopefully, I’m the example that people can see.

Those people can see her back in action, going for gold, on Friday, September 29, at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video. Every Amazon Prime member based in the U.S. and Canada can watch free at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m PT.

Black Belt Magazine