ONE Championship's Danielle Kelly is soft-spoken by nature, but she insists that's going to change real soon.
As Kelly readies for her first main-card appearance for the promotion, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt sees plenty of opportunity on the horizon.
"I'm done being kind," Kelly told MMA Underground. "I want what's mine."
She made the statement with a laugh, recognizing such a bold proclamation is a bit out of character, but the 27-year-old New Jersey native has a point. In the past 14 months, Kelly has competed in submission grappling contests against the likes of former UFC champion Carla Esparza, former ONE Championship title challenger Mei Yamaguchi, and Russian sambo standout Mariia Molchanova.
At ONE Fight Night 7, Kelly travels to Thailand to take on another MMA standout, former ONE title challenger Ayaka Miura, in a featured submission grappling match. The event streams live in North America on Amazon Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET.
"I'm excited for it," Kelly said. "It's a huge jump from being on the undercard to actually being on the main card, so it's a good buildup."
A Silver Fox BJJ product, Kelly owns past submission victories over UFC veterans Cynthia Calvillo and Roxanne Modafferi. In Miura, she'll face a judo black belt who has also racked up seven submission wins in MMA competition. Kelly acknowledges the challenge Miura presents but remains confident in her abilities.
"She's obviously really talented," Kelly said. "She finishes a lot of girls. I actually like that about her. She's kind of like a low-key Ronda Rousey. She just takes the girls down and submits them with the armbar or shoulder lock. I actually think highly of her, but this is jiu-jitsu, and I think she's going to try to work on certain things, but I think I'm going to be faster. I think my technique – my defense, too – I think it's going to be better than hers, and I actually will be more open in this match. I want it to be exciting."
Like Rousey's famed armbar, Miura also has a signature move, working to the scarfhold position and deftly attacking her opponent's arms. Kelly is aware of that threat but believes if she can neutralize it, the path to victory becomes clear.
"When the fight starts, without the striking, she'll shoot for like a fake double-leg takedown, and then the girl reacts how she should: defending your sprawls, keeping her hips away," Kelly explained. "But all these girls keep extending themselves, so when you extend yourself, she's baiting you to do that so she can get that head and arm to throw you. So, yeah, I've been studying her.
"With me, obviously I'm not going to do those things. I'm going to take away what she's good at, and then obviously her armbars, her shoulder locks to keylocks and everything, she's really good at it. She's been doing it for a while, but I think taking those things away, I think she's very limited, so we'll just have to see."
ONE Fight Night 7 is headlined by an MMA title fight between Brazilians John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade, but the promotion is unique in that it features submission grappling, muay Thai and kickboxing alongside MMA contests. Recently, the organization has started crowning its first champions in submission grappling, with Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci taking belts in the men's divisions.
The promotion has yet to award a title in the women's ranks, but with a victory this weekend, Kelly would certainly be worthy of a championship opportunity. While she declines to look past Miura, Kelly admits she's got a plan for what's next.
"I already have something in mind," Kelly said. "I'm going to put my foot down – nicely."
