| Birth Date: | December 4, 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Weight: | 115lb |
| Weight Class: | Atomweight |
| Team: | Silver Fox BJJ Evolve MMA |
| Rank: | 1st degree black belt in BJJ under Karel Pravec[1] |
Danielle Kelly (born December 4, 1995) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who was the inaugural and former ONE Champion at atomweight, after she defeated by fellow BJJ practitioner Mayssa Bastos.[2] She has wins over IBJJF World Champion Jessa Khan, Roxanne Modafferi, Cynthia Calvillo and the former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza.[3] [4]
Kelly fought Cathryn Millares in the co-main event of Fury Pro Grappling 2 on October 29, 2021 and won the match by unanimous decision.[5] Kelly was scheduled to face Rose Namajunas at Fury Pro Grappling 3 on December 30, 2021.[6] However, Namajunas was forced to withdraw from the event at the last minute due to a positive Covid-19 test and was replaced by Carla Esparza. During the match, Esparza slammed Kelly from full guard and the resulting clash of heads opened up a cut above Esparza's eyebrow. The doctors attending called the match off and the victory was awarded to Kelly as a result of the injury.[7]
Kelly made her debut for Who's Number One on February 26, 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones v Ronaldo Junior, where she lost a unanimous decision to Jessa Khan.[8] She returned on June 18, 2021 at WNO: Craig Jones v Tye Ruotolo and submitted Jessica Crane with a kneebar in the first match of the event.[9] These performances earned her an invitation to compete for a title in the Women's Strawweight division of the Who's Number One Championships on September 25–26, 2021.[10] Kelly lost by unanimous decision to Grace Gundrum in the opening round, before submitting Jessica Crane with a heelhook in the first round of the consolation bracket. She was then submitted with an armlock by Tammi Musumeci and did not make it to the third-place final match.[11]
On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Kelly signed with ONE Championship to compete in grappling, as well as mixed martial arts if she wished to.[12]
Kelly made her promotional debut against Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi in an atomweight submission grappling match at on March 26, 2022.[13] The match ended in a draw after neither could find the submission.[14] This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.[15]
Kelly faced Sambo World Champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 19, 2022.[16] She won the fight via rear-naked choke.[17] This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.[18]
Kelly faced Ayaka Miura at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 25, 2023.[19] She won the match by unanimous decision.[20]
Kelly faced Jessa Khan in a rematch for the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling World Championship on September 30, 2023 at ONE Fight Night 14.[21] Kelly won the match by decision and became the promotion's first female submission grappling world champion.[22]
Kelly defended her title against Mayssa Bastos at ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2nd, 2024.[23] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[24]
Kelly fought UFC veteran Roxanne Modafferi in the main event of Submission Hunter Pro 60 on October 25, 2020, submitting her with a toehold.[25]
She fought at the inaugural UFC Fightpass Invitational on December 16, 2021, taking on Alexa Yanes. Kelly lost the match via split decision.[26]
Kano Jigoro → Tomita Tsunejirō → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Renzo Gracie → Karel Pavec → Danielle Kelly[27]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Type | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 20–9–1 | Jessa Khan | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Fight Night 14 | −115 lbs | Nogi | September 29, 2023 | Kallang |
| Win | 19–9–1 | Ayaka Miura | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Fight Night 7 | −119 lbs | Nogi | February 24, 2023 |  Bangkok |
| Win | 18–9–1 | Mariia Molchanova | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE on Prime Video 4 | −115 lbs | Nogi | November 18, 2022 | Kallang |
| Draw | 17–9–1 | Mei Yamaguchi | Draw (time expire) | −115 lbs | Nogi | March 26, 2022 | Kallang | |
| Win | 17–9 |  Carla Esparza | Doctor stoppage (cut) | Fury Pro Grappling 3 | −115 lbs | Nogi | December 30, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Loss | 16–9 | Alexa Yanes | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Pass Invitational | −125 lbs | Nogi | December 16, 2021 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Win | 16–8 | Cathryn Millares | Decision | Fury Pro Grappling 2 | −115 lbs | Nogi | October 29, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Loss | 15–8 | Tammi Musumeci | Submission (armlock) | Who's Number One Championship | –115 lbs | Nogi | September 26, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 15–7 | Jessica Crane | Submission (inside heel hook) | |||||
| Loss | 14–7 | Grace Gundrum | Decision | September 25, 2021 | ||||
| Win | 14–6 | Sofia Amarante | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fury Pro Grappling 1 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 2, 2021 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Win | 13–6 | Jessica Crane | Submission (kneebar) | WNO: Craig Jones vs Tye Ruotolo | −115 lbs | Nogi | June 18, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Loss | 12–6 | Jessa Khan | Decision | WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior | −115 lbs | Nogi | February 26, 2021 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 12–5 | Roxanne Modafferi | Submission (toe hold) | Sumision Hunter Pro 60 | −130 lbs | Nogi | October 25, 2020 | Houston, TX |
| Loss | 11–5 | Grace Gundrum | Fastest Escape Time | Jiu-Jitsu Over Time: The Featherweights | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 19, 2020 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Loss | 11–4 | Nicole Sullivan | Submission | 2020 IBJJF San Jose Open No Gi | −135.6 lbs | Nogi | February 25, 2020 | San Jose, CA |
| Win | 11–3 | Cynthia Calvillo | Submission (ankle lock) | Quintet Ultra | −115 lbs | Nogi | December 12, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Win | 10–3 | Jillian DeCoursey | Submission (kneebar) | Rise Invitational 8 | −115 lbs | Nogi | October 26, 2019 | Westbury, NY |
| Win | 9–3 | Brittany Way | OT | 2019 SubStars at The Tank 2 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 19, 2019 | Miami, FL |
| Win | 8–3 | Mariuxi Llaguno | Points | 2019 JitzKing Tampa | −125 lbs | Nogi | July 6, 2019 | Tampa, FL |
| Loss | 7–3 | Nicole Sullivan | Submission | 2019 ADCC West Coast Trials | –60 kg | Nogi | February 9, 2019 | Burbank, CA |
| Win | 7–2 | Jessica Buchman | Submission | |||||
| Win | 6–2 | Alison Stiegler | Submission | |||||
| Loss | 5–2 | Rikako Yuasa | Fastest Escape Time | EBI 18 | –115 lbs | Nogi | December 9, 2018 | Austin, TX |
| Win | 5–1 | Lilaa Smadja | Submission (armbar) | |||||
| Win | 4–1 | Bruna Bruns | Submission (heel hook) | Fight 2 Win 81 | −115 lbs | Nogi | July 21, 2018 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Win | 3–1 | Amanda Krammy | Submission (armbar) | Rise Invitational 3 | –125 lbs | Nogi | January 13, 2018 | Westbury, NY |
| Win | 2–1 | Lauren Braccia | Submission (armbar) | |||||
| Win | 1–1 | Lilaa Smadja | OT | 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship | –125 lbs | Nogi | March 12, 2014 | Irvine, CA |
| Loss | 0–1 | Rikako Yuasa | OT |