At just 18 years old, Helena Crevar continues to make her mark as one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s youngest stars. As a student of Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu in northwest Austin, Crevar earned her black belt last June and went on to win first place in her weight division at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation No-Gi World Championships in December. In the process, she has amassed nearly 380,000 followers on Instagram and garnered several brand sponsorships.
Evolving from traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu in the early 20th century, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a combat martial art that has risen in popularity in recent years due to its prevalence in mixed martial arts, or MMA. It focuses on controlling a resisting opponent by using grappling techniques such as chokeholds and joint-locks to achieve submission, and athletes fight close to the ground and use leverage to gain dominant control positions. Because there is no punching or kicking, Crevar calls it a “friendlier” martial art.
“It’s very technical, and pretty much anyone can do it because it’s very similar to wrestling and Judo, but not as physical,” she says. “[There are people from] kids to seniors that do the sport, and it’s just a great sport overall for anyone who wants to do it because it’s very easy to learn.”
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crevar got her start in the sport at 8 years old and quickly found her niche. “When I found jiu-jitsu, it was something that I really enjoyed, because I always liked to wrestle as a kid,” she says. “Jiu-jitsu just kind of felt magical to me.”
She began competing at 9, and by 12 found herself opposite adult competitors due to her height and impressive belt rank. By 15, she was receiving offers to compete professionally. “That was kind of when I started winning more, and getting into traveling for competitions,” she says. “That’s pretty much how I started making my name.”
Since, she has risen to young stardom in the sport, moving to Austin with her parents three years ago to begin training with Kingsway under highly regarded coach John Danaher
As a professional, Crevar said she trains for three to four hours every day. She also incorporates daily endurance training for up to an hour to prepare for the physical demands of matches, which can last up to 30 minutes.
On Friday, Crevar will make her debut as an athlete with ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization, at ONE Fight Night 39 in Bangkok, Thailand. Based in Singapore, the organization hosts and signs athletes to martial arts competitions and events across Asia. Friday’s event will be broadcast to over 190 countries and on Amazon Prime Video.
“Being able to see Thailand, and then also being on such a big spotlight [at] the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, that’s going to be really fun,” she says.
While this will be Crevar’s first fight with ONE, she is no stranger to traveling for competitions. Crevar travels to compete within the U.S. several times a month and internationally every couple of months, she said. But despite her busy lifestyle, when she’s on the mat, she tunes everything else out.
“You have to always think about what you’re doing,” Crevar says. “Because as much as it is a physical sport, it’s also very mental. You know, who’s smarter? Who knows how to turn the match around?”
At 18, Crevar’s career is just getting started. For now, she’s focused on competing as much as possible and continuing to win titles, and hopes to open her own gym in the future. Though her dedication to the craft plays no small role in her success, Crevar’s not shy about crediting her innate skill.
“I’d say it’s a combination of my hard work and dieting, always listening and training, and practicing everything I do to learn as much as I can,” she says. “And it’s partially talent and just being able to learn more efficiently and be natural at the sport.”