Professional submission grappler Danielle Kelly is preparing for a new chapter in her career when she faces Ana Lima at UFC BJJ 10 on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
After spending years competing under the ONE Championship banner, Kelly has changed nearly every aspect of her approach. She relocated to Austin, Texas, joined John Danaher’s Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu team and returned to regular tournament competition in an effort to rediscover the rhythm that helped make her one of the most recognizable women in submission grappling.
Now, Kelly is ready to put those changes to the test against Lima.
The matchup comes after a stretch in which Kelly has made a concerted effort to become a more active competitor instead of training for only one or two high-profile matches each year. That shift was partially born from the way her run with ONE ended.
Kelly’s final two matches with the promotion left her frustrated. While she doesn’t regret the experience, the circumstances surrounding those contests made it difficult to walk away satisfied.
“I don’t regret it, but I think if you’re getting messages like, ‘This is what happened. You lost,’ it’s like, all right, I see where this is going,” Kelly told Combat Press.
Still, Kelly isn’t interested in dwelling on the past. She competed against elite opposition, captured a world championship and proved she belonged alongside some of the best grapplers in the sport.
“I lost both matches to a multi-time world champion,” Kelly said. “I’ve beaten her. It’s like, it all goes in one ear and out the other.”
More importantly, the experience taught Kelly how she wants to approach the remainder of her career.
“Next time, I’m just doing things on my own terms,” she said. “If I don’t feel ready for something, I’m not going to agree to it.”
A Move to Texas
Part of taking control meant making a major change outside of competition. Kelly, who grew up in the Philadelphia and New Jersey area, relocated to Austin, Texas, after spending years training around the Northeast, including time at Silver Fox Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in New Jersey and with Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.
“I needed better training,” she said. “I had to be selfish.”
That decision eventually brought Kelly back into John Danaher’s orbit, this time at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu in Austin. She had previously trained with Danaher during his days in New York and already had connections to his system through Silver Fox.
“People always ask me why I didn’t go to the other team,” Kelly said. “It’s like, well, it’s John Danaher. He started everything, and technically he’s like teammates with Silver Fox. So, it just made sense for me to go there, and he’s really good.”
The move also provided something Kelly had been missing: a room filled with athletes pursuing similar goals.
“There are just more people to roll with here who have the same goals, especially girls,” she said.
Getting Back to Competing
Changing gyms was only one piece of Kelly’s reset. She also needed competition.
For years, Kelly had become accustomed to preparing for isolated superfights, sometimes competing only once or twice during an entire calendar year. Eventually, she realized that schedule wasn’t helping her develop, so she went back to tournaments.
Her return wasn’t immediately successful. Kelly competed at the IBJJF No-Gi Pan Championships and lost both of her matches, but rather than allow the setbacks to derail her plans, she quickly jumped back into competition. A few weeks later, she competed at ADCC Trials and went 5-1.
“I kind of had to get momentum back, compete more and feel comfortable competing again because I was used to competing just once or twice a year,” Kelly said. “I knew as an athlete that I couldn’t compete like that. I needed to get reps in, do tournaments and such.”
Kelly continued testing herself, including another ADCC Trials appearance in which she went 3-1. She also competed at THUG Trials as she continued refining both her grappling and overall approach to training. The results mattered, but so did simply becoming an active competitor again.
Changing the Approach
The increased activity has coincided with another change. Kelly has started paying closer attention to her fitness, weight management and preparation between competitions.
Looking back, she believes she became too comfortable while preparing for superfights at 115 pounds. Instead of consistently training near competition weight, Kelly said she would sometimes cut down late in camp, which occasionally left her feeling sluggish when it was time to perform.
“I noticed that I was kind of cruising,” Kelly said. “My body wasn’t active. It wasn’t turning on.”
Even in matches she won, Kelly noticed moments when it took too long to find the urgency she needed.
“A win’s a win, but mentally, it’s like, I need to do better,” she said.
That realization has become part of her motivation heading into her UFC BJJ debut against Lima.
Danielle Kelly vs. Ana Lima
Kelly didn’t exactly wait around for someone to hand her the matchup. UFC officials had previously contacted her about potential opportunities, but Kelly wasn’t ready to return to superfights. Instead, she wanted to spend time competing in tournaments and rebuilding her rhythm.
Eventually, that changed. When Kelly saw potential UFC BJJ opponents being paired off, she made it known that she wanted in.
“I was kind of like, ‘Hey, can I have a match?’” Kelly said. “‘I just want to compete against one of them. Can I have one of these?’”
It wasn’t necessarily a targeted callout. Kelly simply wanted an opportunity to compete, and eventually Lima’s name came back.
“He asked if I wanted to fight Ana, and I said yes,” Kelly said.
Kelly is familiar with Lima’s ability and isn’t dismissing the challenge. However, the former ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion remains confident in what she can do.
“I could beat both these girls,” Kelly said. “Just put the plate in front of me and let’s go.”
For Kelly, UFC BJJ 10 isn’t simply about adding another victory to her résumé. It represents an opportunity to show the progress she believes she has made since changing her surroundings and approach.
“I just want to go out there, compete for UFC and put on a show,” Kelly said. “I think that’s what I care about right now – my performance.”
A New Chapter at UFC BJJ
At 30 years old, Kelly isn’t starting over. She’s adjusting.
The years of high-profile matches, championship pressure and long stretches between competitions aren’t disappearing from her résumé. Instead, they are serving as lessons for the next stage of her career. Kelly has surrounded herself with new training partners, increased her competition schedule and started paying closer attention to her health and conditioning.
A car accident roughly two months ago provided another reminder to take care of herself away from the mats.
“This is motivation,” Kelly said. “I’m going to use this as motivation, too, to get my health in check. So, yeah, I’m really excited for this match.”
There is one other item on Kelly’s agenda after UFC BJJ 10.
“When I get this win, I want to have a vacation,” she said.
First, she has business to handle against Lima. Kelly knows her opponent won’t make it easy.
“She’s really tough,” Kelly said.
Kelly is, too.
Danielle Kelly faces Ana Lima at UFC BJJ 10 on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.