Elite teenage competitor won gold at the 2023 IBJJF European Championships and was promoted to brown belt.
Elite jiu-jitsu competitor Cole Abate is now one step closer to becoming a black belt.
On Wednesday, the 18-year-old Art of Jiu-Jitsu product captured gold in the adult purple belt division at the 2023 IBJJF European Championship and was awarded his brown belt by longtime coach Guilherme Mendes on the podium immediately after.
Abate worked his way through the 71-man bracket to defeat Alliance’s Romulo Rocha Diniz in the division’s final.
Cole Abate’s Elite Resume
Despite his relatively young age, Abate has firmly established himself as a world-class no-gi competitor. Already widely regarded as the future of the sport, he burst onto the scene in 2021 with a decision victory over 10th Planet black belt Geo Martinez at the Who’s Number One Championships in September 2021. At the time, Abate was just a blue belt.
Shortly after that massive victory, Abate would win gold at the ADCC East Coast Trials, defeating the likes of EBI champion Jon Calestine, no-gi world champion Estevan Martinez, and, in the final, ADCC veteran Keith Krikorian.
At the 2022 ADCC World Championships, Abate suffered a decision loss to Fabricio Andrey in the opening round, but would bounce back with a hard-earned win over The B-Team’s Damien Anderson at Who’s Number One in a late contender for match of the year.
Abate’s European Championship adds to his extensive colored belt resume, which includes gold at the IBJJF Pans and Worlds, as well as a no-gi juvenile world championship.
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