This is a great story but you should rephrase your question to be much more specific. Too many men to count can beat her. Too many MMA fighters would destroy her. No top BJJ champs can or will ever be UFC champs from the modern era forward. You can be a 10 in one aspect of fighting, but if you are zero in another, then you might as well consider yourself a zero.
I don't think it's right to call her John Danahers prodigy. She started training with him 6 months ago. Her skill set was built before that. Granted, John will lift her up to the next levels, but I'm sure it would be fair to give credit to her coach Hector Vasquez.
Finished binge watching her earlier matches. She is a competitor, you can see it in her. Her game has changed significantly in the last year but yes, you are correct sir.
getting to the adult division at the ADDC was supposed to be very unusual and special, yet she went through the adults the same way she did the kiddies. she will definitely be one of or THE greatest. i think she can match whoever lands in front of her. it never looks hard for her. and like all the greats, she's training as hard or harder than anyone. who's going to keep up?
@@parmenides2576 really? not even in the topp 10.000 of men? yeah, I know, women are physically weaker and examples in soccer show, there is a huge difference. But after all I've seen so far, I can't believe, she wouldn't pass the 10.000th strongest male competitor. To be honest, in my ears, that claim just sounds toxic and kinda jealous. Maybe I'm wrong, I think, we'll never know.
@@parmenides2576She is a 16 year old girl that’s demolished nearly every female in or above her age, weight and belt class and her record is ridiculous….but here you are talking about men? You got some real issues girlfriend!!! Hahaha
SHE IS NOT GOING AGAINST THE BEST THAT LOCAL DENVER SHOW WAS FOR LEARNING AND FOR THE BRANDS TO SHOW UP SO WE GIVE THEM METALS EC ROSE NAMAJUNAS SAID PUT HER IN THE OCTAGON OR SHUT YOUR MOUTHS HELENA IS UNPROVEN BJJ IS ONE PART TO A WHOLE PACKAGE HELENA IS A CARTOON LIKE MICKEY MOUSE...
Her belt ranks are limited by IBJJF minimum time and age requirements. Travis Stephens was already an Olympic judo medalist and didn't plan on competing in IBJJF tournaments, therefore those rules could be ignored in his situation
Watched her for the first time this weekend in her Denver matches. Like what was stated above her age, not her talent is what is keeping her at her present belt.
Helena has everything to write her name in the history as the GOAT of grappling in the woman division. She is very strong, technical, well instructed, and has good training partners.
I was talking to my brother in law about this the other day. Danaher has said the expectations and skillset have changed in the belt ranks. I think its more so that competitive BJJ has so many coaches wanting to win and hold titles they are holding their students back. If you are consistently beating up to black belts, especially in the short durations shes done so, you’re a black belt. Even if she can’t receive her blackbelt for some strange ceremonious reason, she should probably at least be brown.
People package a lot of different things into the belt levels: how long you trained, knowledge of details, breadth of knowledge, whom you can beat, etc... I'm beginning to think that belt ranks aren't worth all of the confusion that comes with them.
@@MrCmon113 I’ve never been confused. My coaches are Helio Soneca Moreira black belts. I assume they know what a blue belt is supposed to be, so I just focused on training and learning and eventually they gave me a blue belt. Now I’m still focused on learning and training and eventually they’ll give me a purple belt, I suppose. I’m assuming they know what a purple belt is supposed to be. Soneca certainly does.
Helena actually started at Cascao jiujitsu from white to orange (my coach trained her at her early stage) she then moved to cobrinha, then finally with Danaher
Male or female this is an excellent example of success when you put your mind at it you can become the best at what you want to do. It takes an immense amount of dedication and hard work. Having the best coaches help too of course.
I've trained with some guys who had purple belts in the gym but competed as blue belts in comps and blue belts who competed as white belts in comps. I wouldn't be surprised that with the evolution of BJJ coaching and modern sports science training methods and a larger pool of practitioners, a (supposedly) 16 year old prodigy is actually at a purple or even brown belt level.
@moriyokiri3229 no. "Prodigy of someone" specifically binds her talend with mentioned "someone". She just started training after Danaher but now John takes credit for someone else's coaching. I have no doubt John is one of the best coaches on earth but he has enough accomplishments(in future as well) and doesn't need fake ones. @@MMABJJChamps yes but not in title. She is under John just for few months and he is not (yet) responsible for her success.
Something I see not being addressed here is ibjjf standards. In order for her to continue competing at pans/worlds, etc. She has to remain a blue belt for their standard of time. She cant be promoted faster than their minimum time if she want to continue to compete at ibjjf. Which is 2 years at blue, 18 monts at purple, and 1 year at brown.
This girl is a beast and I love this story! It was really well put together. The belts in jiu jitsu are too subjective for my liking and as a result I'm still technically a white belt. I'm really only interested in no-gui and MMA specific jiu jitsu so I guess that is another reason why I don't really care about belts. Anyone that rolls with me would probably never call me a white belt or even a blue belt but I am technically a white belt. I've submitted more than one black belt in a MMA context.
Being considered a "prodigy" can be really tough on people. Considering the sacrifices her parents have already made and the best coaches in the world i hope that she still gives herself time to be a teenager. I was considered close to prodigy level in chess and I'll tell you that after several losses or when you want to take a break. Adults lose interest and you go from being a "prodigy" to "wasted talent" in their eyes when that couldn't be farther from the truth. You just are young and needed to have time to bathe the mistakes of being young just like your perfect trainers did. Thank you for bringing this kid to light and i am excited to see her future and hope the best!
I’ve watched her from the crowd in the JJWL and she was flawless. Arm barred all 3 opponents in the Gi. That was over a year ago and she’s the next greatest thing.
I don't know of any credible BJJ coaches that have given a black belt to anyone under 18, I think some BJJ organizations have an issue with that. That said if they were going to make an exception for anyone I think Helena is the one for sure.
Black belt competitions are what matter. Lower belts are loaded with blue belts that should be purple belts, etc. Whether by strategy or because of rules.
@@MMABJJChamps at 15 she gave Liz a tough match, that was her last sub loss. Was hoping for a rematch at worlds but Liz is going to be a new mom shortly
In my opinion BJJ has one of the best 'slow promotion' ethics in martial arts. Make people wait a long time so that their belt reflects time served, broad knowledge, humility and other aspects of the art, not just fighting prowess. Otherwise a belt just becomes another reason to have a big ego and pride, which are obstacles to progress. I've fought black belts in some 'quick promoting' arts who didn't have the maturity, or the humility, just a big ego and not very good at learning and progressing. BJJ has got it right.
I feel that the belt system is more appropriate for the average Joe practitioner ( who has a life outside Bjj) to validate your efforts on the mats in a visual way. IF you practice BJJ you understand very intimately that whoever beats a purple belt, regularly, is a purple belt and so forth... Alas it IS a young person's sport and she IS a professional, like any prodigy in any sport e.g. soccer, basketball, football etc. She will achieve greatness while YOUNG. In sports people are NOT like wine..
@@cuzz63 Sadly casuals and general practitioners won't understand this. They think danaher made Meregali and Gincarlo as well. I remember seeing this girl years before she moved to danaher lol.
My daughter started bjj at 4, this year she will be training for 2 years, if she keeps going till she is 16 she will be a blue belt at 16 yet been training for 12 years. So yes, this is possible because of the common age restrictions most bjj gyms have on belt rankings
@@MMABJJChamps "level" (or skill) and belt classification are two different things and "is she really a blue belt" is the question being asked. we all know brand new blue belts who are vastly different in skill but the same rank. its like intellect, we all know kids in the same year who are smarter then others
It will be difficult for other children to progress like she has because she is home schooled and practices twice a day so she will have an advantage over most youth athletes her age. This is all she does.
@@johnwayne159 same applies or adults though. Some have more strict work or family commitments and can only get to class once or twice a week, others can get there every night. Jiujitsu is about your personal journey not comparing with others. If she was 21 and a black belt people would have no issue with her being a phenom in the sport like mikey, but because she’s still a teen, her training routine gets scrutinised as not fair for others. Meanwhile the Ruotolo brothers had their family home school them so they could focus on their jiujitsu future, movie star kids get home schooled to focus on their career. Same same
I think as ju jitsu is so popular I know many schools are giving away belts two for a penny and as for alot of these celebrities who mainly only do private lessons and don't test themselves against other capable students but still seem to progress twice as fast it is making a joke out of this beautiful but tough sport it should take years of hard work to get to a blue or purple belt and above but too many are being fast tracked and unfortunately alot of the time it is not because of exceptional ability
I agree partly. I think BJJ is one of the few Martial arts that actually respect the belt system. Its hard to give a brown belt to a student that get taps out all the time by blue belts... Right?
@@MMABJJChamps yep I agree I think it comes down to the specific schools not the art itself most schools are spot on but I have heard some from well known operators reward students too quickly especially if they have a certain profile but overall it's a fantastic fair system
@@johnwayne159 there are levels to the game, at our hobbyist level she’s very clearly a black belt, (or at the very least not a blue belt) but to John who thinks on the world pro level she still probably has much room to grow, also technically I don’t think purple belt can be awarded until 18yo+
That’s because it’s a male, I’m astonished people cannot tell. Huge hands, big feet, five o’clock shadow, neck wider than her head, Adam’s apple, waist wider than hips, manhandling grown women at age 14…….it’s plain to see.
Good for her it's honestly a breath of fresh air. Seeing younger adults doing something with there life instead of turning into criminals or hussys. I wish her and others like her nothing but success and happiness 😊
I had a roommate that was competitive in bjj tournaments. He never spoke about her specifically but from what I understand she probably is but so is everyone else.
wait she not been with Danaher long tho so i wont say shes Danaher prodigy she was winning matches before she came to new wave or better yet scouted by new wave
She's not old enough to be a black belt. There is no denying that she is a black belt skills wise. It's just an age thing set up by bjj as a community. A rule that has been standing for a long time.
Definitely, Sand bagging for sure. The belt indicates knowledge and proficiency. Obviously, it's way higher than Blue Belt. But hey, they are getting the publicity and us talking about it and that is all they need.
And really does it matter if she’s sandbagging when she’s going against upper belts anyways?? And tapping them? When I first started training I was always told belts are the most insignificant thing in bjj journey not sure I buy all the way into that but I definitely understand the philosophy of it.. either way she’s got a bright future ahead of her wish her the best of luck
So why havent we got to see Helena vs Mack Dern?? That would be dope. It would be the next move for both of them right? Dern is ehh in her mma division but one of greatest most credentialed bjj artists of all time. Helena is reaching this. This match could boost both given the cross....just sayin
She's 16, that's when you get a blue belt after doing bjj as a kid in the club I go to. She's very talented beyond her blue belt for sure but not sandbaging
It is kinda sandbagging though. She’s been training with the greatest team in the world, and she’s being held at blue belt not because of skill but because of “age” most of her opponents aren’t fully committed jiu jitsu athletes, they are hobbyist moms who do the sport for fun. She’s got more Matt time that most of her opponents.
@@hikecampdrinkrepeat2162 She's stomping hobbyists and blue belts at local NAGA tournaments, man. There's no defending it. Fight 2 Win is fine, ADCC opens are fine, but stop competing in belted tournaments. She may as well just not compete in those tournaments and avoid potential injury.
@jaykwonzzz I've seen way more injuries in no gi from heel hooks. She should complete as much as possible, gi and no gi. I doubt anyone will promote her to gi black belt if she stops competing in gi
@@hikecampdrinkrepeat2162 then why not just give her a black belt then? Why feed her easy competition? Only reason is to rack up easy metals to pad the record. That’s the problem with competitive jiu jitsu, they hold people at certain rank for to long so they can get easy wins.
Always feel bad for the OG gyms when people talk like this about athletes who move to a famous gym or coach lol she was a prodigy well before JD but im sure thats been said in here already
if she's beating black belts, then she's not a blue belt anymore, not fair for other blue belts. Yea 16 limited to whatever color, bottomline she's not a blue belt
This is silly….1. She’s a blue belt because she’s 16 2. She’s not even really Danher’s prodigy..she’s trained for years and just started training with him last November after years of training.
![Lil Uzi Vert - We Good [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DrSfBULAsek/mqdefault.jpg)
Honestly, if she keeps the same training regimen, is there anyone that can beat her?
This is a great story but you should rephrase your question to be much more specific. Too many men to count can beat her. Too many MMA fighters would destroy her. No top BJJ champs can or will ever be UFC champs from the modern era forward. You can be a 10 in one aspect of fighting, but if you are zero in another, then you might as well consider yourself a zero.
@@td1145So no Jits athlete will ever be good at anything else except for Jiu Jitsu? This is utter nonsense.
Most child prodigies beat themselves with burnout. Todd Marinovich is a prime example.
@@kamikazejutsu1339 This would be a cooooooool fight!
Guys for crying out loud, Gabi Pessanha would rip her head off. Stop hyping people who hasn’t done anything yet…
I don't think it's right to call her John Danahers prodigy. She started training with him 6 months ago. Her skill set was built before that. Granted, John will lift her up to the next levels, but I'm sure it would be fair to give credit to her coach Hector Vasquez.
I did in the video also!
Finished binge watching her earlier matches. She is a competitor, you can see it in her. Her game has changed significantly in the last year but yes, you are correct sir.
True, Vasquez is one of the top coaches in the industry
I'm convinced Helena is John's kid, just find a picture of them next to each other and the resemblance is uncanny.
Man ! You imagine haha;)
I’ve always thought the same thing
Absolutely. Posture and body structure very similar too.
I thought the exact same thing the resemblence is undeniable just it admit shes your daughter john Im so tired of lies
@@r.l.erdody7726what if she isn't tho.. could be chance. But yeh she does look very similar.
getting to the adult division at the ADDC was supposed to be very unusual and special, yet she went through the adults the same way she did the kiddies. she will definitely be one of or THE greatest. i think she can match whoever lands in front of her. it never looks hard for her. and like all the greats, she's training as hard or harder than anyone. who's going to keep up?
Man, I can't add anything to that. Really well said
She wouldn’t even be top 10,000 in mens, do you know what GOAT means
@@parmenides2576 really? not even in the topp 10.000 of men? yeah, I know, women are physically weaker and examples in soccer show, there is a huge difference. But after all I've seen so far, I can't believe, she wouldn't pass the 10.000th strongest male competitor. To be honest, in my ears, that claim just sounds toxic and kinda jealous. Maybe I'm wrong, I think, we'll never know.
@@84erMaxe you’re right it’s probably not the top 10,000 men. It’s probably closer to 100,000. Maybe a million or more.
@@parmenides2576She is a 16 year old girl that’s demolished nearly every female in or above her age, weight and belt class and her record is ridiculous….but here you are talking about men? You got some real issues girlfriend!!! Hahaha
She’s blue bc of her age same situation as Cole when he was blue beating black belt world champs
That I know. But is she REALLY? LOL
Yeah, but Cole isn't wafflestomping local NAGA tournies at the blue belt level.
I thought the belt signified skill level and knowledge combined. Didn't know it was age restricted
At the end of the day it's the masters decision to give his belts out.......I guess.
@@skurdibbles7913in Bjj all belts are age restricted from blue to black at 18. Prevents having children “black belts” like other martial arts
It's only sandbagging if you're competing against other bluebelts. But she's going against the world's best blackbelts.
I know thats scary!
That's like Nicky Ryan. Dude was literally 14 smaaaaaaashing adults.
SHE IS NOT GOING AGAINST THE BEST THAT LOCAL DENVER SHOW WAS FOR LEARNING AND FOR THE BRANDS TO SHOW UP SO WE GIVE THEM METALS EC ROSE NAMAJUNAS SAID PUT HER IN THE OCTAGON OR SHUT YOUR MOUTHS HELENA IS UNPROVEN BJJ IS ONE PART TO A WHOLE PACKAGE HELENA IS A CARTOON LIKE MICKEY MOUSE...
@@Sherlockohms303 😂 we get it dude. You've never accomplished anything.
@@Sherlockohms303 what on earth are you talking about? She's a BJJ fighter not an MMA fighter.
I trained on the same mats as her at Cobrinha Las Vegas. Believe me, she is everything she's hyped up to be and more!!!
LUCKY !!!
Her belt ranks are limited by IBJJF minimum time and age requirements. Travis Stephens was already an Olympic judo medalist and didn't plan on competing in IBJJF tournaments, therefore those rules could be ignored in his situation
I know;)
it's still sandbagging though if she tears through blue again..
Finally we get to know her story. When I looked her up on RUclips, there was only her highlights. Thank you SIR
I know, did the same for me. ERGO, video of her:)
Love the girl! Put in the time with one of the greatest coaches ever! She has style and grace! Unmatched!
Are you just gonna gloss over the fact that Travis Stevens was an Olympic judoka and was highly adept at newaza before he started BJJ...🤔🤔🤔
Impressive
Got my blue belt today! 53 years old. What I’d give to have discovered this decades ago.
Congratulations, I would love to try but I don’t live near any gyms. Just turned 52
Heyyyy congrats my man !!!!! Keep up the good work
That's sad
How didnt you? Im almost 50 and I was all over the first ufc in 93. I thought every dude our age new about this stuff long ago
Watched her for the first time this weekend in her Denver matches. Like what was stated above her age, not her talent is what is keeping her at her present belt.
She makes it look way too easy!
Helena has everything to write her name in the history as the GOAT of grappling in the woman division. She is very strong, technical, well instructed, and has good training partners.
Well said! You are right!
I was talking to my brother in law about this the other day. Danaher has said the expectations and skillset have changed in the belt ranks. I think its more so that competitive BJJ has so many coaches wanting to win and hold titles they are holding their students back. If you are consistently beating up to black belts, especially in the short durations shes done so, you’re a black belt. Even if she can’t receive her blackbelt for some strange ceremonious reason, she should probably at least be brown.
True that!
I have always been told that your rank depends on your potential at that level.
People package a lot of different things into the belt levels: how long you trained, knowledge of details, breadth of knowledge, whom you can beat, etc...
I'm beginning to think that belt ranks aren't worth all of the confusion that comes with them.
@@MrCmon113 I’ve never been confused. My coaches are Helio Soneca Moreira black belts. I assume they know what a blue belt is supposed to be, so I just focused on training and learning and eventually they gave me a blue belt. Now I’m still focused on learning and training and eventually they’ll give me a purple belt, I suppose. I’m assuming they know what a purple belt is supposed to be. Soneca certainly does.
@@americandissident9062 alex got his black belt for a ko.....
These teenagers are changing the standard of jiujitsu. Its amazing to watch how fast they get better.
That's what I'm thinking.
I rolled with her, she is really technical and surprisingly strong
Lucky! How did you do against her ?
I survived 😅 her guard was crazy lol
Helena actually started at Cascao jiujitsu from white to orange (my coach trained her at her early stage) she then moved to cobrinha, then finally with Danaher
Cool! But your comment is not My Pena video haahha. Duly noted though! Thanks
Male or female this is an excellent example of success when you put your mind at it you can become the best at what you want to do. It takes an immense amount of dedication and hard work. Having the best coaches help too of course.
Yes sir! Well said
She already was a champion before going to John Danaher.
👍
I know, but he will make her the GOAT
You've gotta respect her mat-fashion, one of the best in the game!
Thanks to Mommy and Daddy!
good story. glad you used our open footage
Thanks!
Imagine looking up and seeing Gordon Ryan and/or John Danaher in the other corner.. That is some serious mind-fukery..
haha
Even if she is sandbagging, she’s still only 16 years old. That’s honestly remarkable for someone of that age to compete at her level🔥
Yea for sure. She can't be sandbagging because of IBJJF rules
Great video. Helena is an absolute phenom.
Would be intetesting to see her square up against Sarah Galvao.
Indeed, and thank you!
She beat her already.
@@johnwayne159 I didn't know this. Thanks for the update. Who beat who btw?
@@jackievoltraydes3833 Helena beat Sarah by decision in gi at juijitsu world league Sept. 2021. I’m sure they will be competing more in the future.
That is one scary 16 years old. With her coaching staff and talent, she is going all the way. Wow 👌
She looked 30 years old. Sorry someone gotta say it.
Hard one
@@helloman3676 That's why you always got to see the id.
Danaher doesn't care about belts. I've heard him say he wishes belts didn't exist.
Probably true
I've trained with some guys who had purple belts in the gym but competed as blue belts in comps and blue belts who competed as white belts in comps. I wouldn't be surprised that with the evolution of BJJ coaching and modern sports science training methods and a larger pool of practitioners, a (supposedly) 16 year old prodigy is actually at a purple or even brown belt level.
Well said!
Now that's sandbagging is it not?
Saying she is "Danaher's" prodigy is an overstatement. She was already a prodigy before joining John's gym.
She’s a prodigy and her coach is Danaher. That means she is Danaher’s prodigy. You’re just nitpicking.
I give credit to her previous coach too!
@moriyokiri3229 no. "Prodigy of someone" specifically binds her talend with mentioned "someone". She just started training after Danaher but now John takes credit for someone else's coaching. I have no doubt John is one of the best coaches on earth but he has enough accomplishments(in future as well) and doesn't need fake ones.
@@MMABJJChamps yes but not in title. She is under John just for few months and he is not (yet) responsible for her success.
Check under the mats for Pat Barry.
Again? lol
Something I see not being addressed here is ibjjf standards. In order for her to continue competing at pans/worlds, etc. She has to remain a blue belt for their standard of time. She cant be promoted faster than their minimum time if she want to continue to compete at ibjjf. Which is 2 years at blue, 18 monts at purple, and 1 year at brown.
That’s why ibjjf is a dying breed
I know, It just doesn't make sense. That's why I didn't talk about it.
This girl is a beast and I love this story! It was really well put together.
The belts in jiu jitsu are too subjective for my liking and as a result I'm still technically a white belt. I'm really only interested in no-gui and MMA specific jiu jitsu so I guess that is another reason why I don't really care about belts. Anyone that rolls with me would probably never call me a white belt or even a blue belt but I am technically a white belt. I've submitted more than one black belt in a MMA context.
Love what your saying. Keep looking at my channel in the next days / weeks. You will see yourself in one of my video with that you are saying :)
She is definitely sand bagging. She moves and perform as a black belt. Her age and time is really what is keeping her at her current belt
Yea. Like you said, not her fault!
That’d be neat to see her against Grace from 10th Planet
100%
I love watching Helena. She's a humble winner and gracious loser. I can't wait to see her future.
She will be remembered 100%
Ok. That drill with the bands is brilliant for triangle/ hip mobility..
It is !
What's mad is the fact that John Danaher said "Fine, I'll do it myself" and put on a wig and nobody has realised yet...
Man that's a gooooood comment hahahaha
This is amazing 👏🔥👏🔥👏
Thank you man!
My lord the gods have gifted us with a real life goddess
Strong word haha
Being considered a "prodigy" can be really tough on people. Considering the sacrifices her parents have already made and the best coaches in the world i hope that she still gives herself time to be a teenager.
I was considered close to prodigy level in chess and I'll tell you that after several losses or when you want to take a break. Adults lose interest and you go from being a "prodigy" to "wasted talent" in their eyes when that couldn't be farther from the truth. You just are young and needed to have time to bathe the mistakes of being young just like your perfect trainers did.
Thank you for bringing this kid to light and i am excited to see her future and hope the best!
I am sure she will become one of the best female BJJ athlete in the world
I’ve watched her from the crowd in the JJWL and she was flawless. Arm barred all 3 opponents in the Gi. That was over a year ago and she’s the next greatest thing.
I know, she is impressive!
I don't know of any credible BJJ coaches that have given a black belt to anyone under 18, I think some BJJ organizations have an issue with that. That said if they were going to make an exception for anyone I think Helena is the one for sure.
Well said !
Nah she just puts her hair up in lil pig tail things to distract from the fact she's clearly 23 years old
Just like that Orphan movie
WOW lol
Black belt competitions are what matter. Lower belts are loaded with blue belts that should be purple belts, etc. Whether by strategy or because of rules.
She only fights black and brown belts lol
She did lose to Clay in 2022 at the trials by submission but at her age the sky is the limit and it was a very tough match.
Yes indeed. Im sure a rematch will happen!
@@MMABJJChamps at 15 she gave Liz a tough match, that was her last sub loss. Was hoping for a rematch at worlds but Liz is going to be a new mom shortly
In my opinion BJJ has one of the best 'slow promotion' ethics in martial arts. Make people wait a long time so that their belt reflects time served, broad knowledge, humility and other aspects of the art, not just fighting prowess. Otherwise a belt just becomes another reason to have a big ego and pride, which are obstacles to progress. I've fought black belts in some 'quick promoting' arts who didn't have the maturity, or the humility, just a big ego and not very good at learning and progressing. BJJ has got it right.
I agree. I respect the 10-12 years for a BB. Makes sense!
Just saw her at the recent FPI and she's a lil Gordon Ryan
LOL, thats good then
I feel that the belt system is more appropriate for the average Joe practitioner ( who has a life outside Bjj) to validate your efforts on the mats in a visual way. IF you practice BJJ you understand very intimately that whoever beats a purple belt, regularly, is a purple belt and so forth... Alas it IS a young person's sport and she IS a professional, like any prodigy in any sport e.g. soccer, basketball, football etc. She will achieve greatness while YOUNG. In sports people are NOT like wine..
I agree 100%. Thanks for commenting
A Danaher blue belt is the same or better as most others school's black belts. Coach Danaher doesn't just hand out belts.
From what I know she was a blue before she met him. Blue is the highest belt given 16 yr olds.
He doesn't indeed! New generation;)
@@cuzz63 Sadly casuals and general practitioners won't understand this. They think danaher made Meregali and Gincarlo as well. I remember seeing this girl years before she moved to danaher lol.
@@REXAZOR Yeah, she's only been at New Wave a little over 6 months.
He hasn’t promoted her yet, she’s still bluebelt from hector
Amazing how her shoulders are broader than the referees! Is this the boys from Brazil challenge
hahahaha, she is strong indeed!
My daughter started bjj at 4, this year she will be training for 2 years, if she keeps going till she is 16 she will be a blue belt at 16 yet been training for 12 years. So yes, this is possible because of the common age restrictions most bjj gyms have on belt rankings
But her level is not BLUE, that's for certain
@@MMABJJChamps "level" (or skill) and belt classification are two different things and "is she really a blue belt" is the question being asked.
we all know brand new blue belts who are vastly different in skill but the same rank. its like intellect, we all know kids in the same year who are smarter then others
you can also be promoted to purple when you age out of child rankings too though
It will be difficult for other children to progress like she has because she is home schooled and practices twice a day so she will have an advantage over most youth athletes her age. This is all she does.
@@johnwayne159 same applies or adults though. Some have more strict work or family commitments and can only get to class once or twice a week, others can get there every night. Jiujitsu is about your personal journey not comparing with others.
If she was 21 and a black belt people would have no issue with her being a phenom in the sport like mikey, but because she’s still a teen, her training routine gets scrutinised as not fair for others. Meanwhile the Ruotolo brothers had their family home school them so they could focus on their jiujitsu future, movie star kids get home schooled to focus on their career. Same same
She can’t go wrong with John Danaher
No that's for sure.
I think as ju jitsu is so popular I know many schools are giving away belts two for a penny and as for alot of these celebrities who mainly only do private lessons and don't test themselves against other capable students but still seem to progress twice as fast it is making a joke out of this beautiful but tough sport it should take years of hard work to get to a blue or purple belt and above but too many are being fast tracked and unfortunately alot of the time it is not because of exceptional ability
I agree partly. I think BJJ is one of the few Martial arts that actually respect the belt system. Its hard to give a brown belt to a student that get taps out all the time by blue belts... Right?
@@MMABJJChamps yep I agree I think it comes down to the specific schools not the art itself most schools are spot on but I have heard some from well known operators reward students too quickly especially if they have a certain profile but overall it's a fantastic fair system
Is she really a blue belt? Well, to John she is.
That's a good one! Haha.
Best take I saw here yet. Nobody in the comments are qualified to disagree with her coach. Everyone respects John, ones who don’t are just envious.
@@johnwayne159 there are levels to the game, at our hobbyist level she’s very clearly a black belt, (or at the very least not a blue belt) but to John who thinks on the world pro level she still probably has much room to grow, also technically I don’t think purple belt can be awarded until 18yo+
I love how people in Belts system are butthurt when a Blue Belt sub a Black Belt look the color of your Belt Means nothing.
It has to though. They are there for a reason.
I mean, look at her. She's built different than most of the women she faces.
That’s because it’s a male, I’m astonished people cannot tell. Huge hands, big feet, five o’clock shadow, neck wider than her head, Adam’s apple, waist wider than hips, manhandling grown women at age 14…….it’s plain to see.
She's smart
and cmon, don't say she's a male...
@@MMABJJChamps why not, it’s happening all over womens sports and all the details point to it happening here. Make women women again.
@@Amansvista she doesn't have a five o'clock shadow and her hips are smaller than her waist.
Let's give credit where credits due... not a Danaher prodigy. Was actually cobrinha prodigy... he just adopted her skill set...
True, but is she switched, maybe she wanted more.
Good for her it's honestly a breath of fresh air. Seeing younger adults doing something with there life instead of turning into criminals or hussys. I wish her and others like her nothing but success and happiness 😊
My god ! well said, thank you
I had a roommate that was competitive in bjj tournaments. He never spoke about her specifically but from what I understand she probably is but so is everyone else.
This doesn’t even make sense
LOOOOOL, I was going to write this
You failed to express ur opinion
If you train with John Danaher and put in the time and practice. You will be a World Champion.
For sure
Girl is amazing.
She is !
wait she not been with Danaher long tho so i wont say shes Danaher prodigy she was winning matches before she came to new wave or better yet scouted by new wave
I agree! Like I said though Cobrihna did an awesome job! But since she's with John, she's on fire.
Look at all her getups:) that's fantastic:)
with pigtails:)
And did I mention the pigtails?
hahaha yes you did !!! She is just a kido:) She will be great!
She's not old enough to be a black belt. There is no denying that she is a black belt skills wise. It's just an age thing set up by bjj as a community. A rule that has been standing for a long time.
Should we change the rule?
Definitely, Sand bagging for sure. The belt indicates knowledge and proficiency. Obviously, it's way higher than Blue Belt. But hey, they are getting the publicity and us talking about it and that is all they need.
Indeed
At 16 a person can be awarded purple, she should of at least have been purple by her coach, John Danaher
Isn't it 17?
@@MMABJJChamps maybe I'm wrong , it may depend but some of these rules are silly /need exceptions/ special exceptions
She beats black belts so doesn't really matter what her belt is
I know, thats whats impressive
And really does it matter if she’s sandbagging when she’s going against upper belts anyways?? And tapping them? When I first started training I was always told belts are the most insignificant thing in bjj journey not sure I buy all the way into that but I definitely understand the philosophy of it.. either way she’s got a bright future ahead of her wish her the best of luck
Very well said 👏
Exactly! How is it “sandbagging” if she’s tapping out brown belts?!?!
She used to train at Cobrinhas.
Yes sir!
So why havent we got to see Helena vs Mack Dern?? That would be dope. It would be the next move for both of them right? Dern is ehh in her mma division but one of greatest most credentialed bjj artists of all time. Helena is reaching this. This match could boost both given the cross....just sayin
well we saw dern vs davis... she got destroyed...
If she’s a blue belt than at least 80%of black belts should be demoted to at least purple
hahahahahahaha
1. Shes young.
2. Shes still learning
1: I know
2: she will be incredable
I should have stayed practicing Judo when I started back in 1987.
100%
She only a Blue Belt in name but really she is a Black Belt her actions speak loud enough.
I know. I hope she doesn't mind. Not the same for her opponents :(
She's 16, that's when you get a blue belt after doing bjj as a kid in the club I go to. She's very talented beyond her blue belt for sure but not sandbaging
It is kinda sandbagging though. She’s been training with the greatest team in the world, and she’s being held at blue belt not because of skill but because of “age” most of her opponents aren’t fully committed jiu jitsu athletes, they are hobbyist moms who do the sport for fun. She’s got more Matt time that most of her opponents.
@mikegold3130 even at purple belt, she would still dominate
@@hikecampdrinkrepeat2162 She's stomping hobbyists and blue belts at local NAGA tournaments, man. There's no defending it. Fight 2 Win is fine, ADCC opens are fine, but stop competing in belted tournaments. She may as well just not compete in those tournaments and avoid potential injury.
@jaykwonzzz I've seen way more injuries in no gi from heel hooks. She should complete as much as possible, gi and no gi. I doubt anyone will promote her to gi black belt if she stops competing in gi
@@hikecampdrinkrepeat2162 then why not just give her a black belt then? Why feed her easy competition? Only reason is to rack up easy metals to pad the record. That’s the problem with competitive jiu jitsu, they hold people at certain rank for to long so they can get easy wins.
Fights?
Yes?
I honestly don't understand how she got so good at 16😂
Start young, and dedicate yourself with good teachers.
So, she was already on top before meeting John Danaher...I wonder how much of her future success will be attributed to John?
Yea I know. I think he will bring her to be the best ever.
Title should say John Danaher's "protégé" not "prodigy".
Damn I like it. Thanks man
Girl was built for this
She was;)
Clearly his daughter. Would put the house on it.
careful ;))))
I always thought she was like 28 or something 😂
Imagine her at 28 though;)
For real, she should make her birth certificate public.
only thing I dislike is that she never gives credit to the coach that made her
Yea in the beginning, I talk about her previous coach for sure!
Watch the podcast she was on with her previous coach Hector. There’s definite clue there as why she left. I’ll leave it there.
She's only a blue belt because of her age once she reaches 18 she will be promoted to black belt most likely at the least a brown belt
We shall see, its still Danaher behind hehe
Always feel bad for the OG gyms when people talk like this about athletes who move to a famous gym or coach lol she was a prodigy well before JD but im sure thats been said in here already
It was!
* literally a pretty girl moves *
"Oh my god! What an inspiration, the future is here. She is the next Mike Tyson."
Yes sir !
if she was already killing it why leave her old gym? Maybe I'm confusing the timeline
She is on her way to becoming the best ever. She probably wants the best ever coach and team.
The Rise Of John Danaher’s daughter
Hahahahahaha I could litterally change the title to that for sure.
Man I hope she obbbbbbbbbliterates everyone moving forward. AJJ WORLD ORDER
hahahaha. I think she will
Is her gender correct?
Yes!
She's a perfect example of why the belt system is out dated.
That I agree though
Fyi- A grappling match is not a fight.
You for real?
@@MMABJJChamps She stated she had 3 fights, she had 3 matches not fights.
She's totally sandbagging. That many matches and she's still a blue? Nope.
I think the second she gets a bit older, she will be black very fast!
if she's beating black belts, then she's not a blue belt anymore, not fair for other blue belts. Yea 16 limited to whatever color, bottomline she's not a blue belt
Of course she isn't.
This is silly….1. She’s a blue belt because she’s 16
2. She’s not even really Danher’s prodigy..she’s trained for years and just started training with him last November after years of training.
She will be though! hehe
If you have to ask, the answer is yes. Sand bag all day. But it does not matter if she is grappling higher ranks anyway.
Exactly!
she defintely not a blue belt. Anyone who trains since they are a kid should really start at purple depending on how advanced they are
Yea at 16yo, fighters should be given the respectful belt right away.
shows the level of competition in BJJ. this thing can't happen in Olympic sports like judo.
For girls, it's still early... I agree
The real question to ask would be is she really 15?
Lol
Sandbagging 100%
Let's see when she hit 17yo what happens. Then we can say sandbagging