Cole Abate on why he doesn’t do over-the-top celebrations after big wins: “That’s not my style”

20-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion 'Ice' Cole Abate of the United States is having a landmark year.

Apart from making his ONE Championship debut a rousing success and defeating a legend in the world's largest martial arts organization in Japanese MMA icon 'Tobikan Judan' Shinya Aoki, 'Ice' Cole has also become a BJJ black belt world champion with a gold medal finish at the recent IBJJF tournament.

But Abate isn't one to do in-your-face and over-the-top celebrations, no matter how big the achievement is. Speaking to FloGrappling in a recent interview, Abate explained his thought process on this.

The 20-year-old said:

"I’m just so grateful. I’ve pictured this so many times and I usually don’t celebrate much just because this is where I expect myself to be. I’ve pictured it so many times before. You see these guys doing crazy flips and stuff afterwards, that’s not my style. Because I know where I’m supposed to be and I know that should be me, so I shouldn’t look surprised when it happens. And it happened today at 20 years old. What can I say?"

Abate successfully debuted in ONE Championship on Dec. 6, 2024, submitting the legendary Aoki via heel hook.

Cole Abate on his way to BJJ domination: "This is the first big step for me"

American star 'Ice' Cole Abate sees big things in his future and is looking forward to an even bigger 2025.

The new BJJ black belt world champion said on Instagram:

"Man, this is the first big step for me. It's my first world title as a black belt. I intend to conquer more gi [events] and no-gi, too. But it shows me that I'm on the right track and that I have the right people by my side."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on Cole Abate's next fight.