Craig Jones and Gordon Ryan‘s heated rivalry remains intact despite their legendary status in the sport. Younger athletes often look up to them, and one might wonder if that may have a detrimental impact on them. To know the reality, let’s find out from the 18-year-old jiu jitsu prodigy, Helena Crevar.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, host Andrew Whitelaw sat down with the youngest ever ADCC podium placer, Helena Crevar, and delved into several intriguing topics, including her relationship with Jones and Ryan.

Crevar responded: “I think like everything he [Craig Jones] does is great. I really respect him as a person and what he did with CJI is really amazing, you know, to bring such high pay for both male and female athletes and just to bring a huge spotlight. So, I think everything he does is really great.” Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) is a grappling tournament created by Jones himself. The inaugural event took place in August 2024, with the second edition taking place a year later, where Crevar won the openweight women’s tournament.

While talking about how impactful Gordon Ryan has been in her career, the 18-year-old responded: “He’s been amazing as well, just like my professor John (Danaher). Super helpful both on and off the mats, as you know, for advice, and whatever I need, whether it’s for competition or for technique, he’s always been there to help and really just one of the nicest people I know.”

Crevar currently trains under coach John Danaher at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu, alongside Gordon Ryan as one of her teammates. Now, it is quite evident that she shares a good relationship with both Jones and Ryan. When asked if she got stuck in the middle of their feud, the 18-year-old replied: “Not quite, you know, the team did CJI, and we are like all pretty much kind of okay with that. And, you know, neither of them, do anything like to stop me from competing at other events. So, they’re all really like friendly and just like okay with me like doing those events.”

Amid all this drama around the jiu-jitsu community, Crevar is slowly raising her status. With victories at UFC Fight Pass invitational, CJI, and ADCC, the 18-year-old now moves towards another exciting chapter.

Helena Crevar opens up about making ONE Championship debut

Helena Crevar will be making her ONE Championship debut against Hawaiian star Teshya Noelani Alo in a bantamweight submission grappling bout on Friday, Jan. 23.  They set it to be a 10-minute single-round contest on the ONE Fight Night 39: Rambolek vs. Dayakaev undercard inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. While speaking with Andrew Whitelaw of EssentiallySports, Crevar also shared her thoughts on making her ONE debut.

She said: “Yeah, I’m really excited. I’ve really been watching ONE Championship for a few years now, so to be honest, right now it’s really an amazing opportunity and I can’t really wait.”

Crevar and Alo would be crossing each other’s paths for the second time this Friday. Their previous fight reportedly took place during their colored belt days in a no-gi tournament. Following a penalty against Alo, Crevar won the match. Ahead of their upcoming fight, the 18-year-old is not taking her opponent lightly. She has noted that her opponent must have improved since their last encounter.

With their rematch coming up, Crevar will definitely want to showcase her submission skills. It will be interesting to see how well-prepared Alo is when she steps inside the cage. Who do you think will come out on top? Share your thoughts in the comments below!