“My Mindset Is Different” – Danielle Kelly Reflects On First Meeting With Jessa Khan Ahead of World Title Rematch At ONE Fight Night 14

Submission grappling stalwart Danielle Kelly has the chance to capture the biggest accolade of her career later this month at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.

The American star will take on old rival Jessa Khan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title when ONE Championship returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, 30th September, but winning the historic strap isn’t the only thing on her mind. 

Kelly will be seeking redemption for a loss she suffered to Khan when she welcomes the American-Cambodian grappler to the world’s largest martial arts organization in a few short weeks. 

The pair first met at Who’s Number One 6 two years ago, where Khan walked away with a unanimous decision win. 

Since then, Kelly has been watching her rival progress with keen eyes. And now that the rematch has arrived, she’s ready to take whatever Khan throws her way. 

“I feel like I know her game really well. My exchanges, my defense, my offense is going to be way ahead of her, and whatever she gives me, you know, I’m going to give her something back,” Kelly said.

“I train with really tough people – really tough girls. I have an idea what she’s going to throw at me, and I’ll be ready. I think she’s kind of the same as last time, so we’ll see.”

It’s hard to ignore criticism and hype ahead of a fight, especially as a young athlete. 

Kelly openly admits that she paid too much attention to both before her first meeting with Khan. She allowed the frenzy to get into her head and affected her performance.

But her game has evolved over time, as has her mental approach. Thus, the 27-year-old is confident that she’ll be able to overcome all mental hurdles en route to World Title glory at ONE Fight Night 14.

“I was too much into the media. I was too much into, like, ‘I’m really, like, nervous. I’m nervous to, like, go against a high-level grappler,’” Danielle Kelly said.

“And I guess she was one of the first few that I went against, and, you know, now my mindset is really different.”