Cole Abate will make his ONE Championship debut towards Shinya Aoki on December 6 at ONE Struggle Evening 26.
Teenage phenom Cole Abate will quickly make his much-anticipated debut in ONE Championship’s submission grappling division.
On December 6, at ONE Struggle Evening 26, the Artwork of Jiu-Jitsu product will face former MMA world champion Shinya Aoki in a 10-minute submission-only affair. That matchup will happen on the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Recent off a gold medal efficiency on the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pans – his first main title as a black belt – Abate has lengthy been thought to be one among BJJ’s most promising younger athletes.
In 2021, at simply 16 years previous, he gained the ADCC East Coast Trials, defeating prime black belt opponents like Jon Calestine, Deandre Corbe, and Keith Krikorian. Whereas he would subsequently undergo a first-round exit on the 2022 ADCC World Championships, Abate has continued to cement himself as an elite no-gi grappler. In his most up-to-date efficiency, on the No-Gi Pans, he took out adorned veteran Gianni Grippo, proficient Brazilian Ismael Santos, and European no-gi champion Julian Espinosa.
Abate might be in for an intriguing problem in his promotional debut. A BJJ and judo black belt, Aoki is among the most harmful and inventive submission artists to ever struggle in MMA. He’s a former DREAM and ONE MMA world champion and comes into this match following a submission victory over John Lineker.
Whereas he’s greatest identified for his accomplishments in MMA, the 41-year-old is not any stranger to submission grappling competitors. Along with his look on the 2005 ADCC World Championships, he has competed in ONE submission grappling bouts towards Garry Tonon, Marat Gafurov, Kade Ruotolo, and Mikey Musumeci.
On paper, Abate stands out because the clear favourite on this matchup, as he’s the way more lively and achieved grappling competitor and is on the leading edge of contemporary BJJ method. Nonetheless, Aoki owns a deep bag of tips and has confirmed troublesome to place away.
Learn how to watch: Cole Abate vs. Shinya Aoki takes place on December 6, 2024 at ONE Struggle Evening 26, which is able to air dwell on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) starting at 8:00 PM ET.
