Atomweight submission grappling queen Danielle Kelly “would love to test” her wrestling game against Itsuki Hirata

Danielle Kelly will certainly have her hands full fending off submission grapplers hungry for her world title, yet there’s one mixed martial artist she’d like to test her mettle against.

The reigning ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion revealed in a recent fan interaction on Instagram that one fighter who intrigues her is Itsuki Hirata.

Kelly posted on her Instagram stories how Hirata would be a cool matchup for her, especially with the Japanese star’s penchant for taking opponents to the ground.

Hirata is listed under ONE Championship’s stacked roster of mixed martial artists, but she’s a natural grappler with a renowned judo base.

One fan asked Kelly:

“Would you fight Itsuki Hirata if they gave you the opportunity?”

Danielle Kelly then gladly answered the fan's query.

“I think it would be a fun match, and bring lots of eyes. Would love to test my wrestling against hers. She has a fight soon, though.”

Kelly isn’t new to fighting MMA fighters in ONE Championship. She debuted against Japanese pioneer and former atomweight MMA world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X.

The American star also tangled with Ayaka Miura, a former ONE women’s strawweight MMA world title challenger, in her ONE Fight Night 7 appearance.

As for Hirata, ‘Android 18’ is scheduled to take on Miura at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on January 28 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The event marks ONE Championship’s return to Japan after nearly four years.

The card is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

---

Danielle Kelly reflects on her budding legacy

It didn’t take long for Danielle Kelly to establish herself as one of the top stars in ONE Championship.

After settling for a draw in her debut in March 2022, Kelly went on a three-fight winning streak that culminated in a world title win over an old rival. Kelly went into a grappling chess match with former tormentor Jessa Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 in September 2023.

Although she didn’t get the submission win she desired, she did more than enough to secure the ONE atomweight submission grappling world title after a hard-fought decision win.

Kelly then reflected on her journey on her Instagram account.

“In honor of matches, tonight and the end of the yet are near, I’ve beaten champions in different categories (MMA, BJJ, and Sambo) and was the main event in some. Pretty cool to look back at😭💪🏼 can’t believe how time flies.”