Helena Crevar: Inside the rise of grappling's 18-year-old sensation set to make her ONE Championship debut

Helena Crevar is ready for the next chapter of her prodigious career.

On Saturday, January 24, she will make her ONE Championship debut at just 18 years old, continuing her remarkable journey that saw her family uproot their lives so she could train alongside the very legends she once studied from her bedroom in Las Vegas.

The American submission grappling sensation faces Hawaii's Teshya Noelani Alo in a bantamweight contest at ONE Fight Night 39 from Bangkok's historic Lumpinee Stadium, live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The numbers surrounding Crevar's young career are almost difficult to believe. She boasts a 345-7 competitive record, she became the first woman ever to receive a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from legendary coach John Danaher, and in her first tournament as a black belt last month, she submitted all four of her opponents to claim gold at the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship.

Most remarkably, Crevar earned her black belt just nine months after receiving her purple belt - a progression that typically takes at least a decade for most practitioners to achieve.

For context, Crevar is still 18.

Her path to ONE Championship's global stage started early. Crevar began training in martial arts at just three years old, but it was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that truly captured her imagination.

Growing up in Las Vegas as a homeschooled only child, she became obsessed with studying the sport's most elite names.

"I watched all of Gordon Ryan's matches and everything, and I also would buy John Danaher's instructionals and try to learn from him on my own. I'd try to experiment with those things that he would teach in his instructionals when I was training in Vegas," Crevar said.

At that point, Ryan and Danaher existed on a level that seemed almost mythical to the teenage grappler. They were simply idols operating in a world far removed from her own reality.

That changed in 2022 when, at 15 years old, Crevar met Ryan for the first time and received an invitation to try a class at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu - formerly known as New Wave Jiu-Jitsu - in Austin, Texas. Her parents had already been considering a move from Las Vegas, having visited both Dallas and Austin multiple times.

The opportunity for their daughter to learn at one of the world's most elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies made the decision straightforward. The family relocated to Georgetown, a quieter town about 30 minutes from Austin, specifically so Crevar could pursue her dream.

"We were already thinking about moving somewhere, but we really liked Texas. But [being able to train at Kingsway] was a really good reason for us to move. So, we decided on it together to move because of jiu-jitsu as well," she explained.

Walking onto the mat for her first proper training session felt surreal. The people whose techniques she had dissected through a computer monitor in her bedroom were now offering corrections during live rolls, adjusting her grips and showing her details no video could fully capture.

Beyond Ryan and Danaher, the roster included Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champions and ONE Championship athletes Garry Tonon and Giancarlo Bodoni.

"I was definitely really amazed when I did my first training session. It was pretty amazing to be in the same training room as them, and to later on get the opportunity to train with them and roll with them," Crevar said.

Training three to four hours daily alongside grappling royalty, Crevar's progression was exponential. Her timing, positioning and submission chains evolved to a level she couldn't have imagined back in Vegas.

"I came with a decent base already, but they really helped me refine everything," she said. "When I was three to four months in, I felt like I was a different athlete."

The evidence revealed itself through her belt progression. She received her purple belt in September 2024, was promoted to brown in December while still 17 years old, and earned her black belt the following June at 18 - becoming Danaher's first female black belt in the process.

That rapid ascent raised eyebrows across the grappling world, but Crevar's competitive results have silenced any doubters. At 17, she earned a silver medal at the 2024 ADCC World Championship, becoming the youngest podium finisher in the competition's history.

The teen's black belt debut at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in Las Vegas last month provided the most emphatic statement yet. Crevar submitted all four opponents en route to claiming gold, capping a performance that announced her arrival among the sport's elite and had critics calling her the top pound-for-pound female grappler in the sport today.

Now signed to ONE Championship, Crevar stands at the beginning of what promises to be an incredible professional career. The progression from studying instructional videos in her Vegas bedroom to rolling with those same legends in Austin represents a journey few could have imagined.

As she prepares for her promotional debut against Alo, there's no anxiety about expectations or proving herself worthy. There's only excitement about finally competing on the stage she's watched for years.

"There's no pressure. I'm just really excited to make my debut because I've been watching the events for a really long time now. I'm really excited to put on a show for the whole crowd," she said.

Watch Helena Crevar make her ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 39, live on Sky Sports from 1am on Saturday, January 24.