Danielle Kelly has been a rising star on the grappling scene for some time, and in 2022 she stepped foot into ONE Championship’s Circle for the first time.
The New Jersey native drew with Mei Yamaguchi in her first outing, but she took a commanding victory over Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova in her second appearance.
BJJ may be her bread and butter inside the Circle, but Kelly has interests outside of it too, and one of them she happens to share with an MMA legend.
“When I’m not training or teaching, or working, I either like to sleep [or] I like to hang out with my friends sometimes, like when I’m not being a loner. I’ll play video games or whatever because it just kind of keeps my mind busy. And it’s just something because this is my life. So it’s good to kind of not think about jiu-jitsu or fighting for like two hours,” Kelly told ONE.
She shares her love of video games with Demetrious Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” is well-known for his gaming acumen, and he has crafted his social media presence around gaming – often streaming his gameplaying to a global audience.
Kelly relates to the ONE Flyweight World Champion, and is inspired by him on and off ONE’s global stage.
“I really look up to him because it’s like the same thing. He fights all day. He’s training and studying for that. I’m doing the same thing, except I’m not yet punching people in the face. But he uses gaming, and he interacts with people on online gaming, to like, take a break from that stuff, just like I do,” she said.
Sharing something with another elite athlete has also made Kelly feel more comfortable in her new home.
The two gamers shared stage time earlier in 2022 when ONE and Amazon Prime announced the Prime Video partnership. The 27-year-old grappling star was part of the press conference along with Johnson, and she finds comfort in having connected with one of the Singapore-based promotion’s biggest stars.
“So it was really cool to, kind of, relate to a fighter in ONE Championship like that. And it makes things better, more comfortable. And the fact that I have someone look up to like that like I could do it too. So it’s pretty motivating at the same time,” said Kelly.
While many things have changed since the summer, some things have stayed the same. Kelly has continued her budding rivalry with ONE Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee since then, and Johnson is still tied to Adriano Moraes.
The two flyweight superstars are scheduled for their trilogy match on Friday, May 5, when ONE comes to Colorado for their first on-ground event in the U.S.
Stay tuned for more information on Kelly’s return to the Circle when it is announced. Johnson takes on Moraes in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 10 on Friday, May 5. The event airs live and free on Prime Video to all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada. Fans can sign-up for priority access to tickets right here.
