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Cole Abate explained why he decided to sign with ONE Championship.
Over the past few years, ONE Championship has successfully expanded into submission grappling with Kade Ruotolo, Tye Ruotolo, Danielle Kelly, Mayssa Bastos, and more. The Chatri Sityodtong-run promotion has started the latest round of signings to continue building its world-class roster.
Earlier this month, ONE signed American grappler Cole Abate. The 20-year-old trains at the Art of Jiu-Jitsu and has already made a name for himself by securing first place in the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pan Championship (professional level).
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In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Abate explained his reasoning for the signing:
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“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."
In 2021, Abate made history at the ADCC EC U.S. Trials, a tournament featuring many world-class grapplers. He secured first place in the trials at 16 years old, making him the youngest competitor to ever accomplish the challenge.
Cole Abate looks to make statement in ONE Championship debut
On Dec. 6, Cole Abate will make his highly-anticipated ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight 26. The 20-year-old phenom's upcoming opponent is legendary Japanese grappler and MMA fighter Shinya Aoki.
Aoki has competed in four submission grappling matches in ONE against Garry Tonon, Marat Gafurov, Kade Ruotolo, and Mikey Musumeci. Abate has an opportunity to defeat Aoki and add himself to a list of world-class grapplers who have defeated 'Tobikan Judan.'
At 41 years old, Aoki plans to utilize his martial arts experience advantage and take out the young superstar.
ONE Fight Night 26 goes down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The upcoming event, featuring two world title fights can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
