Kelly raring to go against accomplished Yamaguchi
Within a month of signing with One Championship, Danielle Kelly will make her debut in the circle at One X at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 26.
The jiu-jitsu black belt will compete in an atomweight submission grappling bout against an accomplished MMA fighter in Mei “VV” Yamaguchi.
The 26-year-old American has accomplished incredible feats in the realms of grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Kelly was awarded her black belt at the start of 2020 by Karel “Silver Fox” Pravec, and since then, she has taken on world-class mixed martial artists such as Roxanne Modaffeiri, Cynthia Calvillo and Carla Esparza.
She will begin the next stage of her career with submission grappling bouts, starting with Yamaguchi of Japan.
And Kelly had some choicest words for her opponent ahead of her first outing in the circle.
“You’ll literally have to break me to make me give up,” Kelly wrote on Instagram.
This mindset is fitting for the opponent Kelly is set to face.
“VV” has been a trailblazer for female mixed martial arts across the world.
She has a strong background in karate, shootboxing, wrestling and jiujitsu and has earned over 20 MMA wins in just over 10 years in the sport.
The battle will be a good test for both competitors, as Kelly will put her jiujitsu skills to the test against Yamaguchi’s submission experience.
“I’m so excited to fight in Singapore again. One X will be the biggest event in One Championship history. Let’s show the power,” Yamaguchi said ahead of the 10th anniversary event.