“Thankful for everything he has done” - BJJ phenom Danielle Kelly shows her love to coach and father figure Jay Regalbuto

The value of having a good team around a fighter cannot be understated enough as they can spell the difference between being on top of the world and struggling to just be within reach of the summit.

Reigning and inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly is one such competitor to benefit from having someone believe in them from day one.

The Silver Fox BJJ and Evolve MMA product has the benefit of working with the best coaches and one such name that she has grown to appreciate most among others is that of Jay Regalbuto - one of the most respected names in BJJ.

Regalbuto was responsible for helping her prepare for her fight against Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4 last November and has grown to become a father figure for her.

Kelly recently took to her Instagram stories to show her appreciation for Regalbuto and everything that he has done for her career thus far:

“Mess with me, you mess with @smashpassjay 😂🩷💪🏼Thankful for everything he has done over the years and support. I lost my dad but Jay treats me like his own. Good coach, role model, father, person 💪🏼💪🏼”

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Danielle Kelly eager to compete soon

One of the promotion’s most fiery and determined grapplers inside the ONE Circle, watching a bout involving Kelly is always fun to watch, and if she could have it her way, she would be competing as much as she can.

But as to who her opponent could be, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native is eyeing a superfight against five-time BJJ world champion Tammi Musumeci, who forced her to submit to an armlock in September 2021 under the promotion Who’s Number One.