Cole Abate

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom “Ice” Cole Abate might be the most exciting young talent the sport of submission grappling has ever seen – and he’s ready to test himself against the best of the best in ONE Championship.

Born in Beaumont, Texas, the youngster was always athletically gifted. While he enjoyed team sports like basketball and baseball, it was the individual nature of BJJ – which he started at 5 years old – that satisfied his competitive urge.

Abate spent his first 10 years in the sport training under the careful guidance of decorated black belt Rodrigo Pinheiro, often jumping into the adult classes to test himself against athletes much larger and older.

Competing nearly every weekend, Abate would soon become the most accomplished juvenile competitor in the world after winning gold at practically every major tournament available to him. 

That success, coupled with his unending passion for BJJ, led Abate and his family to relocate to Costa Mesa, California, so that the then 14-year-old could train at the world-renowned Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy under grappling legends Guilherme and Rafael Mendes. From there, he continued to pack his trophy case with even more gold medals, including an IBJJF World Title as a purple belt.

In 2021, the young phenom defeated several world-class black belts to become the youngest male to ever win the ultra-tough ADCC North American Trials.

He spent the next couple of years continuing to dominate competitors his age and take out a number of respected professionals before, in the summer of 2023, he was promoted to black belt.

Abate has wasted no time in living up to the hype around him. And in 2024, he won gold at the IBJJF No-Gi Pan-American Championships to solidify his status as one of the planet’s most talented submission artists.