Helena Crevar reflects on historic achievement: "I was John Danaher's first female black belt"

Helena Crevar revealed the profound significance of achieving a special milestone in her ever-thriving Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey under one of the discipline's most respected coaches.

The 18-year-old ground game machine addressed the honor of receiving her black belt from legendary BJJ practitioner John Danaher, marking a historic first for the renowned instructor.

"I was John Danaher's first female black belt. So, it's really like a huge honor for me to have been able to do that, and just to train under him, and the whole New Wave Team for these past two and a half years," the Las Vegas native told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in an online interview.

Helena Crevar's milestone black belt ceremony this past June marked exactly a decade since she first stepped onto the mats as an eager eight-year-old.

Since then, she's attained several accolades in the discipline, including becoming the youngest ADCC World Championship podium placer at just 17 years old.

Watch her full interview with SCMP below:

The New Wave Team affiliate currently owns a 28-4 resume, with 18 submission finishes.

She has showcased her submission-hunting skills on several platforms, and now she's ready to leave a lasting impression as and when she opens her ONE Championship account.

"I'm really excited to be able to sign with ONE Championship. And, you know, fight at 145 or 155. So, it's going to be a new weight class, especially for grappling. But, I think that's really exciting, like ONE Championship is kind of expanding women's jiu-jitsu and everything. So, I really can't wait," she added in the same interview.

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Helena Crevar's martial arts journey started way before BJJ

BJJ wasn't Helena Crevar's first step into martial arts. The teenage superstar, born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2007, discovered Kajukenbo, a Hawaiian hybrid discipline that fuses striking and grappling, when she was only three years old.

Apart from her martial arts journey, Crevar was an active child growing up. The 18-year-old did basketball, swimming, and ballet.

That early exposure equipped the American athlete with a balanced skill set, which translated well when she picked up BJJ.

Before training under Danaher, Crevar worked under Hector Vasquez, who promoted her to blue belt during her early days on the mats.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for any news or updates on her debut fight on the global stage of ONE Championship.