When ONE Championship returns to Prime Video on February 24, Danielle Kelly will be looking for her second win on the global stage. The event, ONE Fight Night 7, will also bring submission grappling to the hallowed halls of Lumpinee Stadium, giving fans a new treat to enjoy. And Kelly is confident she will put on a show.
The Silver Fox BJJ representative will take on Ayaka Miura. The Japanese is known for her strong judo skills and has seven wins by submission in her mixed martial arts career. In her ONE debut, Kelly drew with MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi. She is using that experience to help guide her against Muira.
“I think she may be more technical and more engaging than Mei. Mei was really good at her defense, and she was really strong. I think my opponent will be either just as strong or stronger because I’m lighter than her. I think my technique will just be a little better. I just have to make sure I get her moving because she’s really good at MMA, and she has a really good base, and her specialty, she’s really good at it,” Kelly told ONE.
Even though Kelly compliments Miura’s judo skills, she is almost dismissive of any threat. The 27-year-old is highly confident that she can end this match whenever she pleases. And that is her biggest debate with herself heading into Bangkok.
“I’m just debating with myself if I want to keep the match short. Just submit her right away or make it fun, but you know, I’m going to be way lighter than her, so I don’t know if I want to play with her too much. She’s really good. She’s strong at what she does. Yeah, I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” said Kelly.
If she gets the desired result, Kelly is looking to have an active 2023. The American star has already called out Jessa Khan, who signed with ONE last year. Having dropped a prior match with her in 2021, Kelly wants redemption.
But she is also looking at a possible submission grappling match with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan. When questioned about the hypothetical matchup with the ONE Strawweight World Champion, the Silver Fox BJJ athlete was keen on the idea. So much so that she expects an easy check to cash if the match is signed.
“I would love to go against her. Why not? Sounds easy to me. I think she’ll be an easier matchup than Angela [Lee], but I won’t turn that down,” said Kelly.
ONE Fight Night 7 emanates from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Friday, February 24. The event airs live at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. It is included for free in all Amazon Prime subscriptions to members in the U.S. and Canada.
