Mayssa Bastos Happy with Second Win Against Danielle Kelly Despite Failing to Submit American
Despite successfully defending her ONE Atomweight Submission Grappling world title against Danielle Kelly, Mayssa Bastos expressed her disappointment for failing to submit the American star.
Bastos defeated Kelly in a closely contested grappling masterclass between two of the world’s best BJJ black belt competitors at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs Rasulov on December 7.
The Brazilian cemented herself as the world’s best atomweight submission grappling star after beating her rival for the second time, having dethroned her to claim the belt at ONE Fight Night 24 this past August.
Despite retaining her belt, the 27-year-old Brazilian champion was still unhappy that she didn’t secure the finish.
“I think I performed better than last time, but I don’t think I’m satisfied with the win. I really wanted to submit her,” Bastos said.
Bastos attacked Kelly with a front headlock, nearly securing a D’Arce choke, but only secured the bout’s only catch with seconds remaining with a vicious heel hook.
“I felt like I had a pretty tight heel hook at the end. I was even feeling her heel popping, but I guess [that wasn’t] enough to make her tap.”
