Helena Crevar wins Pan No-Gi 2026 gold three weeks after ADCC title
The 19-year-old American, a student of John Danaher, won two matches at super-heavy black belt, finished the final in about 20 seconds and did not enter the open class
Helena Crevar is the black belt super-heavy champion of the IBJJF Pan No-Gi 2026. The 19-year-old American, from Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu, won both of her matches over the weekend in Secaucus, New Jersey. She took the gold medal this Sunday, October 4, when she beat Sara Resetar (TDBJJ) in the final.
The Pan No-Gi is the Pan American championship of the IBJJF, the biggest jiu-jitsu federation in the world. “No-gi” means the athletes fight without the gi, the traditional kimono.
The title came three weeks after her gold medal at the ADCC, which took place on September 12 and 13 in Krakow, Poland. The ADCC is the most important no-gi grappling tournament in the world.
Her two matches at the Pan No-Gi
The women’s super-heavy bracket had four athletes. On Saturday, October 3, Crevar beat Bridgett Brumbaugh (Active Jiu-Jitsu) in the semifinal. On the other side, Sara Resetar beat Maria Luiza Loreiro (Gracie Barra).
In Sunday’s final, Crevar needed about 20 seconds. Resetar attacked first and went straight for a heel hook, a leg lock that twists the heel. Crevar stayed calm, escaped the danger and answered with a footlock, a move that attacks the foot and the ankle. Resetar tapped, which means she gave up. This is called a submission.
Crevar did not fight in the open class
Crevar’s name is not in the open class bracket. The open class, also called the absolute, puts athletes of all weights together. Before the tournament, the IBJJF wrote in its bracket preview that it was not clear if she would enter the open class, and that she would be a favorite if she did.
The women’s open class went to Sarah Galvão, who beat Maria Vitória Ruffatto-Gilpin in the final and left the tournament with two gold medals.
Three weeks after the ADCC
In September, in Krakow, Crevar won the ADCC title in the over 65kg division. She won three matches, all by submission: a rear-naked choke against Matilda Reid, a straight ankle lock against Elizabeth Mitrovic and a choke against Anabel Lopez in the final.
According to ONE Championship, the organization she has a contract with, Crevar became the youngest women’s champion in ADCC history. She also became the first woman to win all of her matches at the tournament by submission. In 2024, at 17, she had already won a silver medal in the under 65kg division.
Crevar was not the only ADCC champion to win in New Jersey. Pawel Jaworski, who won gold in the under 88kg division in Krakow, won the medium-heavy division and the open class at the Pan No-Gi.
A black belt since 2025
Crevar received her black belt from coach John Danaher in 2025, at 18, right after she won the IBJJF World Championship as a brown belt. FloGrappling described this Sunday’s gold as her second title in a major IBJJF tournament.
See all the black belt champions of the Pan No-Gi 2026.
Should Helena Crevar have entered the open class at the Pan No-Gi? Leave your opinion in the comments.
