Cole Abate is confident that his performance at ONE Fight Night 26 was just the beginning.Making his promotional debut at ONE's final event of 2024, the former IBJJF world champion made a memorable first impression, scoring a sensational submission victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki via heel hook. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSpeaking with Mitch Chilson in the ring immediately following his big win, Abate expressed his appreciation for everything ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong has done to give BJJ a platform.Abate also hopes that aspiring grapplers will see him as an example of what is possible in a sport that's still finding its footing:"Man, that feels amazing! I'm really appreciative for all the work that Mr. Chatri has done [in this] organization and Mr. Tom for helping me with this opportunity. It's been a long ride coming to this point and I see a bright future ahead of myself at ONE and hopefully the next few years, maybe we’ll see more young stars".Abate added:"Hopefully, this inspires some more people to take action, follow in my footsteps, and look at that blueprint."Cole Abate knew Shinya Aoki would be a worthy opponent for his ONE debutThough he made it look easy against Shinya Aoki, Cole Abate knew that 'Tobikan Judan' would be a worthy opponent given his undeniable history as one of MMA and jiu-jitsu's most accomplished athletes:"Going into this, I knew that Shinya would be a very worthy opponent. He's got so much experience in MMA in general. Of course, representing Jiu-Jitsu and the MMA world for many years and even having the title here at ONE, so I knew the challenge I was going up against."With his win over Aoki, Abate how has himself a 100% finish rate under the ONE Championship banner and 32 career wins to his credit. Not bad for a 20-year-old hailing from Beaumont, Texas.If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 26 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.