“Be the best person at your weight” - Cole Abate recalls how his quest for grappling excellence began 

At the tender age of 20, Cole Abate already knows what he wants to accomplish and who he wants to be.

The young prodigy has lofty goals of becoming the greatest grappler of all time once it's all said and done.

It's his burning desire to be the best that led him to join ONE Championship's elite roster of the best submission grapplers in the world.

In an exclusive interview with ONE, 'Ice' recalled how his obsession for BJJ began in his formative years:

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“[My head instructor] said your goal right now is not to be the best green belt, not to be the best kid, not to be the best 14-year-old. You need to be the best person at your weight regardless of how old, what titles the person has, and what belt they’re wearing. You have, at this point, over 10 years of jiu-jitsu experience."

Cole Abate took that piece of advice to heart and took the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world by storm.

The Beaumont, Texas native's athletic gifts have always been evident, but it's his prodigious understanding of 'The Gentle Art' and the way he can magnificently apply it to his game that truly sets him apart.

Cole Abate will take on a legend at ONE Fight Night 26

ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs Rasulov on Prime Video will feature a battle between an old guard versus the next-gen.

Cole Abate will make his promotional debut against MMA and grappling royalty Shinya Aoki in a 10-minute lightweight submission grappling contest.

'Tobikan Judan', which translates to 'Grandmaster of Flying Submissions', is as ferocious as his nickname suggests.

It will be fun once the innovator of the 'Aoki Lock' grapples with arguably one of the most creative submission artists in the game.

ONE Fight Night 26 will emanate from Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The full event will air live in US Primetime on Dec. 6 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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