Cole Abate ONE Fight Night 26: "I could be one of the best" - Cole Abate recalls the moment he realized his true potential in jiu-jitsu

20-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) standout Cole Abate knew he was poised for greatness when he captured the gold medal at the 2021 ADCC North American Trials as a 16-year-old — the youngest-ever male to do so.

Speaking exclusively with ONE Championship, 'Ice' looked back on this achievement and how it became the driving force of his career:

"I knew that that was the highest level for kids and saw that I was above it. It let me know that I was above everybody my age. So that if I just stayed above everybody my age as the years went on, I could be one of the best to ever do it."

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Cole Abate's march towards submission grappling superstardom will see him make his ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Though he has defeated a notable list of BJJ stars highlighted by Geo 'Freakazoid' Martinez and Estevan 'Giant Slayer' Martinez, Abate's next opponent will be his toughest yet — former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki.

An all-time great Japanese grappler, 'Tobikan Judan' will aim to showcase his trademark ferocity and athleticism to spoil Abate's ONE arrival.

Cole Abate did not hesitate to sign with ONE Championship

In the same interview with ONE, Cole Abate shared his reasons for signing with the world's largest martial arts promotion over any other promotion vying for his signature. He mentioned:

"I think there's a lot of potential for me to add to my audience and add to my image as being the young guy, the person that has been doing everything right since they were a kid, and be able to show that story to even more people. So I think that's what excites me, and I feel like it's in line with my goals."

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

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi