‘It Feels Great’ – Mayssa Bastos Elated After World Title Win Over Danielle Kelly
At ONE Fight Night 24: Brooks vs. Balart on Prime Video, Brazilian sensation Mayssa Bastos lived up to the massive hype surrounding her when she defeated American superstar Danielle Kelly to claim the ONE Women’s Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title.
That contest aired live in U.S. primetime on August 2 from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium and had the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world captivated.
That’s because Kelly – a dangerous and well-rounded submission hunter – came into the match undefeated in ONE, having beaten IBJJF World Champion Jessa Khan to claim the atomweight submission grappling crown last September.
But with her ultra-aggressive guard game and a close look at a heel hook late in the match, Bastos was able to secure a unanimous decision win, put an end to the Philadelphia native’s run of dominance, and leave Thailand with 26 pounds of gold in tow.
After the victory, the elated newly crowned titleholder spoke to the media:
“It feels great. Right now, it’s really hard for me to describe, but I’m really, really happy.
“I think it’s special because I’m the first Brazilian to ever win [submission grappling gold], especially because it was a title that I did not have yet, and also [it’s] for my legacy.”
Indeed, Bastos had already established herself as the greatest-ever BJJ competitor of the sport’s lightest weight classes, boasting an incredible nine IBJJF World Titles as a black belt.
Her win over Kelly further cements her as the best atomweight jiu-jitsu fighter on the planet and enters her into the pound-for-pound discussion.
However, looking back on the match, the Brazilian admits that Kelly’s clubbing collar ties on the feet – which drew a warning from referee Herb Dean – took her by surprise:
“I think she came really aggressive. I was expecting [her to be] aggressive. I was kind of surprised, the way that she went after me on the feet.”
Despite her foe’s physicality and aggression, Bastos maintained her composure and stuck to the game plan.
As the clock wound down, she knew she needed to score one more catch (a near-submission attempt). She did just that, using her favorite berimbolo to get into a leg entanglement where she attacked a deep, belly-down heel hook.
The 26-year-old said that submission felt close to ending the match, and with just a few more minutes, she may have been able to submit the notoriously tough Kelly:
“I feel like my last catch was the best catch of the match. So I feel like if we maybe had a little bit more time, I would [have been] able to [finish her].”
Bastos Open To Rematch With Kelly
Now Brazil’s first-ever ONE Submission Grappling World Champion, Mayssa Bastos can look forward to a bevy of hungry contenders.
Never one to pick and choose her opponents, though, she said she’s open to facing any and all contenders:
“Right now, I don’t have anyone in mind, but anyone who wants to fight me, I would be happy to fight.”
At the top of the list of potential World Title challengers is Danielle Kelly herself. The former titleholder undoubtedly wants a rematch and a chance to prove she deserved the decision at ONE Fight Night 24.
For her part, Bastos has no problem running it back with the American:
“Yes, for sure, I would be happy to fight [Kelly] again.”
For her World Title-winning efforts in that high-paced, all-action victory, the Art of Jiu-Jitsu representative took home a well-deserved US$50,000 performance bonus.
The extra payday left Bastos stunned:
“I was really happy. I wasn’t expecting to win a bonus. It was kind of a surprise, but a really good one.”
