Cole Abate says setbacks are important when you’re on the road to greatness: “A story that people can relate to”

20-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Cole Abate of the United States has no fear of failure whatsoever. In fact, Abate believes that losing is simply part of the game and will, in the end, make you a better competitor.

Still, Abate is one of the most talented and promising young BJJ black belts in the game today. Signing with the world's largest martial arts organization earlier this year, the American is thankful for the opportunity to compete among the best, even if it's a little risky.

He told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

"If your career is only uphill, there are no times where you go down, it’s hard for anybody that watches you and admires your work to feel inspired by that because you’re just Superman at that point. You can’t really inspire people, because it’s not very realistic."

Abate added:

"So I’d rather have a story that, yes, is inspiring, yes, is successful. Of course, I don’t want any of that to happen, per se, but I want it to be a story that people can relate to and feel inspired by."

Abate is ready to risk it all when he steps into the ONE Championship ring for the very first time, which comes this weekend.

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Cole Abate takes on legendary MMA fighter Shinya Aoki in ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 26 on Prime Video

The United States' Cole Abate will make his ONE Championship debut opposite Japanese legend and former ONE lightweight MMA world champion 'Tobikan Judan' Shinya Aoki.

The two will fight at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video, which will broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, December 6, from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.