Every once in a while a true athletic phenom enters the mix. And, this does not mean just a top-tier athlete, but someone who quickly excels to the pinnacle of their sport well ahead of anyone else.
In combat sports, a few big names come to mind, like Mike Tyson in boxing, Jon Jones in MMA, and Gordon Ryan in submission grappling. Tyson was, and still is, the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at Age 20. Jones was, and still is, the youngest champion in UFC history at Age 23. And, Ryan hasn’t lost a grappling match since he was submitted by Vinny Magalhaes in 2018, when he was 23. Ryan is now on a 59-fight unbeaten streak, and, in the year of his last defeat, he still won double gold at both the IBJJF Pan No-Gi and the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds. Well, another grappling superstar is on the rise, and she happens to be a protege of Ryan.
At only 18 years old, Helena Crevar has already made a name for herself in the world of submission grappling. In Aug. 2024, she became the youngest ever athlete to stand on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship, when she placed second at only 17 years old. She has won many professional grappling matches, and in 2025, she earned her jiu-jitsu black belt under Ryan and his coach and mentor John Danaher, before going on to win gold at the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds at black belt in December. She has truly risen to what could end up being the greatest female grappler of all time, so how did she get here so quickly?
Crevar is the only child of her parents Goran and Danijela, who are originally from Serbia. Her mom was an outstanding athlete, and her dad played sports as well. They raised their daughter in Las Vegas, Nev., but that was not their first stop after leaving Eastern Europe.
“I’m not sure exactly what year, but [they left Serbia], because my mom was a professional in bodybuilding and fitness,” Crevar told Dan Kuhl of Combat Press. “So she got a visa to come to Canada as an extraordinary athlete. That was the reason that they moved to Canada and, then later, on to the US. My dad did a lot of sports, but he never really competed professionally in any of them.”
Growing up in Las Vegas, Crevar dabbled in a few different sports before dedicating her life to jiu-jitsu.
“It was a pretty normal life,” Crevar said. “I did home-schooling since I was five years old. So, pretty much all of my school was just home-schooling. I did sports since I was three years old. Other than that, I had time to hang out with friends and do normal things. So, pretty much like a normal childhood – home-schooling, sports and hanging out with friends.”
As normal as her childhood was, Crevar did not realize her favorite of the various sports would be a life-defining choice before she was even a decade old. When she was eight, Crevar began her jiu-jitsu journey.
“I had joined a gym that had training and conditioning classes,” Crevar elaborated. “I had only been there a year. After that, I moved to a different gym, and I was there for like two-and-a-half years. Then, most recently in Vegas, I trained at a Cobrinha BJJ affiliate, which is under Hector Vasquez, before I moved to Texas.
“I’ve tried a lot of things. The things that I did the longest next to jiu-jitsu was Kajukenbo, which I did for five years. It was like a combination of karate, kempo and things like that. And then, I also did ballroom dance. Every year, I tried other things like Muay Thai, wrestling, Judo, gymnastics, swimming – pretty much everything really. I probably liked wrestling or judo best, because it’s very similar.”
As a sports-centered family, Crevar’s parents had no issues with their daughter’s choice to pursue a career in combat.
“They were okay with it,” Crevar said. “They were already having me try different things, and they were always very open with me trying as many things as I can and really finding what I liked. They were just very supportive and have been supportive ever since I started. So I’m pretty sure they’re really happy with what I chose.”
So, when Crevar decided to move to Austin, Tex. to join Ryan and Danaher at New Wave, and later Kingsway, Jiu-Jitsu, her parents were on board. And, for Crevar herself, this is where she belonged.
“I had already been studying Gordon and John for a really long time,” Crevar explained. “So, when the opportunity came, I really set my mind to just train with them. I had, mostly, trained with guys at New Wave, like maybe two or three other girls, but most of the room was guys. The guys know how to give a good round and are helpful. It really has helped me a lot to improve my game. The way they teach is different from anyone else. They always have new things that they evolve all the time, like always creating new techniques and everything. I think that Gordon’s style and John’s style is very similar to my game and how it was before I moved. The style and everything fits perfectly into my game.”
So, how is an 18-year-old already the best female pound-for-pound no-gi submission grappler in the world?
“It’s probably a combination of talent and hard work,” Crevar said. “I’ve been training really hard, always disciplined, always listening to all my coaches, trying to improve, ever since I started. So I think it’s a combination of understanding everything as well as really working hard to get there.”
In December, Crevar competed in her first IBJJF No-Gi Worlds as a black belt, and she went all the way to gold. And, the competition was nothing short of familiar foes.
“It was definitely an amazing experience,” said Crevar. “It was my first black belt world title. So, you know, I’ve been watching that event as well for a really long time. And like now, being in the black belt finals and everything was surreal and just like an amazing experience.
“The competition was about the same as my superfights. I had already actually fought all those girls before. Some were in the superfights. Some were in IBJJF events. So it wasn’t anything very new for me. The ruleset was a little bit different, but, otherwise, it was pretty similar to superfights.”
In the summer of 2025, Crevar had another huge opportunity arise, when she was offered a contract with ONE Championship.
Tom DeBlass, a friend of Ryan and Danaher who also happens to be the Vice President of Grappling for ONE. reached out and wanted to have Crevar fight on the ONE Fight Night 39 card, which takes place this Friday, Jan. 23 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. And, the Danaher/New Wave/Kingsway crew are no strangers to ONE. Garry Tonon and Giancarlo Bodoni have both fought under the ONE banner with Tonon having fought MMA there 11 times since 2018. Tonon is one of Crevar’s coaches and training partners.
“Garry’s there almost every day, and he’s one of my regular training partners, a really good role model, and I really enjoy training with him whenever I can,” Crevar said. “John and Gordon are probably the most helpful in there. Garry’s also amazing with some of his insights as well. And, Giancarlo, Nicholas [Meregali], all these guys I learn something from, really.”
For her ONE debut, Crevar will be facing Teshya Noelani Alo from Hawaii. Alo is a standout grappler in her own right. She is a former Team USA wrestler, who also has a background in Judo, and she has earned multiple national world titles. The two grapplers have actually previously faced each other three years ago.
“We fought a while back, and I won by a penalty that was given to her under the ADCC ruleset,” Crevar said. “I know that she has very good top-pressure wrestling, but we have both improved a lot in these three years, so I’m sure it’s going to be like a completely different match this time.
“Last time I fought her, I really didn’t know anything about her or her style, so it was probably a surprise. I did not know that she had very good pressure when I did pull guard. So, it might play out the same way, with me pulling guard and her being on top, but it might be completely different.”
The ONE Championship rules for grappling do not allow for buttscooting and stalling, as the intention is to keep it action”packed with competitors always looking for submissions. Crevar likes this style of grappling.
“It’s a 10-minute, submission-only round, which is my favorite ruleset, because both of us have to push the pace and get the submission,” Crevar explained. “And, I’m like non-stop submission attacking, so I think it’s really the ruleset that plays in my favor.”
Crevar is looking forward to her ONE debut, and while she is confident in imminent victory, she is humble in her approach. She is not talking trash, and she is definitely all business. And, when she is not training almost constantly, she finds solace in baking.
“I like to bake,” said Crevar. “I like to bake for every holiday, for my teammates, my friends, my neighbors. I also like to read, watch TV, and I have two cats and two birds.”
The birds are parrots, one Senegal parrot and one white-bellied parrot, whose names are Kiwi and Chubby. Her cats’ names are Bernie and Tiger, and they have to be told not to mess with the bird cages, as one might suspect. However, the four pets will not be traveling to Thailand, so they will have to wait for Crevar to come home, hopefully with some extra cash.
On Friday night, fans will definitely want to tune in to see Crevar prove why she is one of the highest ranked grapplers in the world, as she plans to put on one hell of a performance.
“I always try to bring the action, try to put on a show with both my appearance and my jiu-jitsu. I’m definitely trying not to disappoint and am ready to bring the action to make it a good show for everyone.”
ONE Fight Night 39 will air live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Jan. 23, at 9 p.m. ET