"Don't try to be the best kid here" - Cole Abate shares advice from head coach Gui Mendes in his first day at Art of Jiu-Jitsu

Blue-chip Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) athlete Cole Abate took to heart the advice of Art of Jiu-Jitsu head coach and four-time IBJJF World Championship gold medalist Gui Mendes.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 20-year-old recalled the words said to him by Mendes after his first day of training in Art of Jiu-Jitsu:

"There's no excuse for losing or just accepting defeat against those guys. You can beat them. You just gotta put your mind to it. So, don't try to be the best green belt here. Don't try to be the best kid here. We all know you are. Now is the time to get ahead of everybody else and just try to be the best in the world at your weight."

Abate cemented his name as the next big thing in BJJ when he captured the gold medal in the 2021 ADCC East Coast Trials as a blue belt at just 16 years old.

Now a BJJ black belter, the 20-year-old will make his ONE debut against Japanese grappling legend Shinya Aoki at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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What awaits Cole Abate when he faces Shinya Aoki

Though Cole Abate is raring to test his abilities against one of the most feared grapplers to ever compete under the ONE banner, Shinya Aoki could give him more than he bargained for.

With 'Tobikan Judan' proudly owning 11 submission finishes across 14 MMA and submission grappling wins in ONE, the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion will look to add Abate to his star-studded list of victims when they cross paths at ONE Fight Night 26.

ONE Fight Night 26 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.