Rising grappling star Helena Crevar has expressed interest in facing UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern in a submission grappling match, adding another high-profile name to her list of potential opponents.
The 18-year-old black belt, who trains under legendary coach John Danaher at Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu in Austin, Texas, spoke with Kyle Diamond of Bloody Elbow about potential matchups with mixed martial arts fighters competing in a jiu-jitsu format.
“Yeah, definitely. Mackenzie, I’ve known about her pretty much since I started when she was still competing in jiu-jitsu,” Crevar said during the interview ahead of her ONE Championship debut. “I believe around then she had already won ADCC and IBJJF black belt worlds. So it’s definitely amazing to see her now going into MMA and also being successful there.”
Dern captured gold at both the 2015 ADCC World Championship and the 2015 IBJJF World Championship during her dominant grappling career. She went on to make history in October 2025 by becoming the first woman to win world titles in IBJJF, ADCC, and the UFC when she defeated Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. The achievement places her alongside former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum as the only fighters to accomplish this feat across all three major disciplines.
Helena Crevar Calls for Submission Grappling Match with UFC Champion Mackenzie Dern
Crevar, who has established herself as one of the most accomplished young grapplers in the sport’s history, showed openness to competing against multiple MMA fighters in grappling-only contests. “I’d really like to compete against some MMA fighters as well in the jiu-jitsu format,” she explained. “I think it would make for an exciting match because they know how to push the pace, so I think those would be really exciting matches as well.”
When asked if she had specific fighters in mind, Crevar kept her options broad. “No one in particular right now – anyone that’s in the top, whether it’s an MMA fighter or jiu-jitsu, just anyone in my weight class really,” she said.
Crevar’s comments came during promotion for her ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 39 on January 23, where she submitted Teshya Noelani Alo with an Estima lock at 1:40 of their openweight submission grappling match. The performance marked a successful start to her tenure with the Singapore-based promotion, which allows her to compete across multiple platforms without exclusive restrictions.
Crevar won the 2025 IBJJF World Championship at brown belt and received her black belt promotion from Danaher in June 2025, making her his first female black belt. She holds titles from Polaris and Who’s Number One (WNO), with a professional grappling record of 27 wins against three losses.
Dern has shown continued interest in grappling competitions despite her UFC commitments. She received an invitation to compete at the 2024 ADCC World Championship, marking a potential return to submission grappling nearly a decade after her 2015 triumph. Whether she pursues additional grappling superfights while defending her UFC title remains to be seen.