Mayssa Bastos lived up to her reputation in her ONE women’s atomweight submission grappling world title clash with Danielle Kelly at ONE Fight Night 24 last weekend, and she made promotional history by claiming the throne.
The 26-year-old superstar became the first-ever Brazilian to win submission grappling gold in ONE Championship when she thwarted Kelly’s tactics en route to victory in their 10-minute contest last Saturday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Reflecting on the achievement and what it will do for her career, Bastos said, “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.”
Claiming the crown from Kelly, who entered ONE Fight Night 24 with an unbeaten promotional slate, was no small feat, and the fashion in which Bastos did it made it all the more impressive.
The Brazilian saw off any submission attempts from the defending World Champion, and she countered effectively to secure dominant positioning and earn the unanimous decision win at the end.
Though she didn’t get a finish, Bastos felt that she implemented her game plan well.
That said, she would be open to running it back with Kelly to cement her reign.
“I think she came really aggressive,” she said.
“I was expecting aggressive. I was kind of surprised; the way that she went after me on the feet. 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].
“Right now, I don’t have anyone in mind, but anyone who wants to fight me, I would be happy to fight. For sure, I would be happy to fight her again.”
