Helena Crevar targets early 2026 ONE Championship debut: "Probably by the beginning of the next year"

Submission grappling specialist Helena Crevar is stoked to get her campaign in ONE Championship underway, though she'd ideally like to debut sometime next year.

The 18-year-old martial artist, one of the very best stars in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu realm today, was officially unveiled as the latest member of the world's largest martial arts organization's submission grappling roster this past July.

Though she cannot wait to compete inside the Circle and test herself in the promotion's submission grappling ruleset, which prioritizes aggression and penalizes fighters for stalling, Crevar revealed that her radar is locked on a ONE debut in Q1 of 2026.

"Probably by the beginning of the next year. I hope so. And you know whether it's I know that ONE Championship has a cage and a ring. So, I'd love to compete in either of those," the Las Vegas native told the South China Morning Post.

The New Wave Team representative, who trains under the tutelage of the legendary John Danaher, brings a wealth of experience and tricks to the global stage.

Last year, she became the youngest-ever ADCC World Championship podium placer, grabbing the silver medal while she was only 17. Helena Crevar also finished an opponent with a heel hook submission in the ADCC female division – the first athlete to do so in the female bracket.

This past June, the Las Vegas-born athlete, now residing in Austin, Texas, earned her BJJ black belt from Danaher, becoming the first female to earn the highly coveted belt from the revered coach.

Watch her full interview with the South China Morning Post below:

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Helena Crevar is pleased to see more women compete in BJJ

In the same interview, the ONE Championship star revealed her admiration for seeing more female participants test themselves in the traditionally male-dominated sport.

"For me, any girl that does jiu-jitsu or kind of any sports is inspiring because sports, especially mixed martial arts, are still very dominated by men, but it's also amazing to see a lot of girls getting into it," the 18-year-old continued.

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