Danielle Kelly To Defend Submission Grappling World Title Against Mayssa Bastos At ONE Fight Night 24

Submission grappling gold will be on the line at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, August 2.

That night, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Champion Danielle Kelly will defend her belt against Brazilian star Mayssa Bastos in a 10-minute, submission-only affair that airs live from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Undefeated across four appearances in ONE, the 28-year-old Kelly claimed the division’s inaugural World Title last September at ONE Fight Night 14 with a hard-fought decision victory over 2023 IBJJF World Champion Jessa Khan.

It was not only the biggest victory of the Philadelphia native’s career, but it also silenced critics who doubted her ability to defeat the elite of the elite.

While she is hungry to prove her doubters wrong again, Kelly has been given an incredibly stiff test for her first World Title defense.

Widely regarded as the best woman to ever compete in the lightest weight classes, Bastos boasts a lengthy list of accomplishments that includes nine IBJJF World Titles, as well as multiple Brazilian National, European, and Pan-American titles.

The 26-year-old made her highly anticipated ONE debut in March at ONE Fight Night 20, scoring a decision victory over Japanese powerhouse Kanae Yamada.

Bastos will now have the opportunity to add one of the only trophies missing from her case – 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.

Stylistically, this World Title clash should produce plenty of high-paced action and technical exchanges.

On one side, the defending atomweight submission grappling queen is a dangerous leg locker and a well-rounded grappler whose aggressive submission-hunting game works well under ONE’s rule set.

On the other, Bastos possesses perhaps the sport’s most technically advanced guard game, and she is a true master of taking her opponent’s back from practically any position.

Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE Fight Night 24 on August 2.