Danielle Kelly scheduled for ONE Championship debut
Elite black belt competitor Danielle Kelly is now set to make her ONE Championship debut. On Saturday, March 26, Kelly will take on Mei Yamaguchi in a grappling match at ONE X.
Kelly confirmed the match-up on Instagram.
A professional MMA fighter since 2007, Yamaguchi is one of MMA’s most experienced female fighters; she has over 35 fights under her belt. Across Yamaguchi’s 21 career wins, nine have come by way of submission. She as struggled lately, going winless in her last three bouts.
A black belt under Karel Pravec, Kelly is a seasoned competitor at the highest levels of jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. She is a multiple-time Who’s Number One veteran with a pair of submission wins over Jessica Crane.
Kelly is no stranger to competing against elite MMA fighters. She submitted UFC veteran Roxanne Modafferi at Submission Hunter Pro in 2020, tapped current UFC flyweight Cynthia Calvillo at Quintet Ultra, and, most recently, defeated former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza by doctor stoppage when Esparza attempted to slam her way out of Kelly’s guard.
