Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Danielle Kelly is now preparing for the biggest test of her career – but she’s no stranger to overcoming adversity.

On Friday, August 2, in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video, the American superstar will defend her gold for the first time when she takes on decorated Brazilian phenom, Mayssa Bastos.

What motivated Danielle Kelly to take up BJJ?

That submission-only contest will go down live in U.S. primetime at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpine Stadium and has the BJJ world buzzing with excitement.

Undefeated across four thrilling matches in ONE, Kelly has garnered legions of fans thanks to her aggressive, submission-oriented style of grappling.

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Despite her popularity today, things weren’t always so easy for the Philadelphia native. 

As a shy and undersized young girl who moved from school to school throughout her childhood, Kelly often found herself the victim of relentless bullying, from name-calling and taunts to physical attacks.

Naturally, she developed anxiety and struggled to enjoy a normal childhood. That began to change, though, when she discovered BJJ, then wrestling, around the age of 10.

She explained how jiu-jitsu helped her overcome bullying and gain the confidence she so desperately wanted:

“I feel like joining sports like that, I gained a lot more confidence. And then over time, I was creating friends and in a good environment from the sports. So that kept me going and kept me motivated and busy. I’m just distracted, not thinking about school stuff.

“That really helped me a lot, focusing on competing when I was a kid, just because of good people that wanted to see me succeed. I think that’s why I’m still sticking with jiu -jitsu – because it’s my escape.”

Kelly has a message for the kids struggling with bullying

Nowadays, countless young girls look up to Kelly, admiring her for her accomplishments in submission grappling and her friendly personality. Many of those fans have undoubtedly found themselves as victims of bullying, just like her.

With that in mind, she sent a message to children who are struggling with bullying:

“If I had a daughter, a kid that was in my shoes, I’d tell them to get into sports. I think if I didn’t get into sports when I was younger, I don’t know what I would be doing, but I don’t think I’d be doing anything good right now. I would say just find something that you’re good at or you enjoy, and stick with it.”