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20-year-old Brazilian black belt world champion 'Ice' Cole Abate felt a little overwhelmed with all the support he has received from fans across the world.
That's all warranted though, because Abate has achieved what many his age only ever dream of.
This year, Abate became an IBJJF black belt gold medalist for the first time and joined ONE Championship -- the world's largest martial arts organization.
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Abate wants to thank the fans who had sent him private messages congratulating him on his wins. Taking it to Instagram, he wrote:
"That was something that wasn’t as expected, I know it comes with the success, but that just made the moment feel even better. So I’m just more than thankful to all those people. To everybody that supports me, gave me some compliments throughout the weekend, shot me messages, reposted my videos, all of it counts and infused the energy I had today."
Abate made his ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video last Dec. 6. The event went down at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Cole Abate wants to inspire young BJJ athletes to follow in his footsteps: "I want them to be happy"
'Ice' Cole Abate isn't just claiming his performances and achievements as his own. There's another purpose that it serves. He hopes that he can inspire the next generation of BJJ athletes.
Taking it to Instagram, Abate said:
"So when people see me, I want them to be happy for my achievement, I want them to be happy for the medal, but I want them to look at it and say, ‘Hey, he did it at 20 years old, why can’t I do it by 20 years old or even sooner?’ I want people to see it, be able to take action by it, and man."
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Abate's next fight.
