Helena Crevar is about to step onto the stage she’s been watching for years as she prepares for her ONE Championship debut.
The 18-year-old American standout will compete at ONE Fight Night 39 on Friday, January 23, where she’ll face Teshya Noelani Alo in a bantamweight submission grappling match.
After relocating to Texas at just 15 to train under John Danaher, the opportunity feels especially meaningful for Crevar:
I’ve been watching ONE for a few years now, and I watched my teammates Garry [Tonon] and Giancarlo [Bodoni] compete on it as well.
I really like the show. I think it’s the best one out there because it has different sports like MMA, submission grappling, Muay Thai, and things like that, and it’s a super big crowd, and the venue and everything looks amazing.
So, when I got the opportunity, I was really excited to take it.
She earned her black belt under Danaher and became the youngest athlete ever to reach the ADCC podium at just 17, a run that led many to label her a “generational talent”:
It really inspires me to do more. It’s not really a burden to me.
It just motivates me to do even more, and it’s really humbling.
Crevar has long favored the rule set used in ONE Championship:
ONE’s rule set is a straight 10-minute round and submission only, so that is my favorite rule set.
It has been since I started competing in no-gi.I really love it because it forces both of us to go for it in the match.
There are no points or penalties. We both have to try to submit each other.
While her debut is the immediate focus, Crevar is already thinking long-term:
I definitely want to compete pretty often and maybe in the future go for a title, either at 145 or 155 [pounds], and really solidify a name for myself there.
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