Jessa Khan unimpressed by Danielle Kelly’s game: ‘I don’t really see too much’

Danielle Kelly may have made her mark in ONE Championship, but Jessa Khan isn’t losing sleep over her opponent’s reputation.

Khan and Kelly will collide for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video. The event airs live in U.S. primetime from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 29.

This isn’t the first time these two accomplished grapplers have faced each other. Their paths first crossed in a memorable encounter in 2021. In that matchup, Khan emerged victorious by decision after a hard-fought 15-minute battle.

Now, with the stakes higher than ever, Khan is looking for a repeat performance against Kelly.

Her confidence is rooted in the fact that she didn’t find Kelly particularly impressive during their initial meeting.

“To be honest, I don’t really see too much [in Kelly’s game]. Maybe her takedowns. I know in the other match we did, she was able to take me down. So I’d say she has some pretty good wrestling,” Khan said.

“She’s very flexible and has a good defense. But like I said, for the most part, that’s all I really see.”

For Khan, the ultimate goal isn’t just to win, it’s to do so in style by securing the finish.

“I’ve been going over a lot of attacks, whether it’s on bottom or top. You know, I’m mainly known for doing armbars. And I feel pretty comfortable to hit them from any position,” she said.

“Like I said, whether I’m on top, on bottom, even if I’m in a bad position, I feel like I always just kind of figure out a way to get to the submission.”

Jessa Khan predicts ‘very aggressive, very active’ battle with Danielle Kelly

What makes this showdown even more intriguing is the fact that this will be Jessa Khan’s ONE Championship debut.

Stepping onto such a prominent stage for the first time could be a daunting experience for some, but Khan seems unfazed.

In fact, Khan relishes the opportunity to showcase her skills in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and she’s determined to leave a lasting impression.

“I’m just very aggressive, very active, especially with no-gi. People can’t really hold me down. So I feel like that helps out with my game because I just try to move a lot until I find a way to get to either a good position or to get to a submission,” she said.

“You don’t really see any stalling or anything for me — that’s not really part of my game.”