Biography
Cole Abate is a professional grappler and a jiu-jitsu specialist who trains under Guilherme Mendes and represents team Art Of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) in the sport's international circuit. Abate, commonly referred to as "Ice Cole" first made waves in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit while competing in the junior and juvenile divisions where he conquered numerous important titles, but it was his winning performance at the ADCC East Coast Trials (pro-division) - one of the biggest no-gi tournaments in the world - as a 16-year-old blue belt that gained the recognition of the mainstream audience. Cole Abate was born on November 16, 2004, in Beaumont, Texas, USA, and grew up in San Antonio, TX. Drawn to athletic endeavors from a very young age, Abate started playing basketball and baseball at the age of 4. Already showing premature signs of competitiveness as a young child, Cole gradually became disheartened with team sports as his teammates did not share the same levels of focus and ambition for competition, displaying a more ludic approach towards these activities. At the age of 5, while exercising with his father, Jeremy, at a local fitness gym, the Abates were approached by another gymgoer who, after some small talk, spoke about jiu-jitsu. The gentleman was a purple belt at the time who trained at a local gym, and his enthusiasm for the sport drew Cole's attention. After an invitation from this newfound friend, the young Texan decided to take a trial class. After his first jiu-jitsu class, Cole Abate was immediately drawn to the sport/martial art as was his father. The fact that it was challenging and he was not dependent on teammates to draw success from this activity was one of many favorable factors that led to his decision to leave basketball and baseball behind to focus on grappling. Under the guidance of coach Rodrigo Pinheiro, Cole quickly climbed through the belt ranks while competing regularly and winning some of the most important medals in the Teen, Junior, and Juvenile Divisions. Cole's talent shone through to eventually calling for the attention of promoter Jeferson Maycá of the Copa Podio jiu-jitsu show. Maycá was developing an event (Orange League) destined to find the top junior talent in the world, gathering athletes from across the globe. At the time (2019), Abate revealed himself to a wider audience, particularly in Brazil, where the event took place (Manaus). These travels abroad also propelled Abate to learn Portuguese, a language he speaks fluently. At the age of 14, already seen by many as one of the hottest prospects in the junior jiu-jitsu world, Cole's father asked him, "If you could train anywhere in the world, where would it be?"* The young athlete replied "with coaches Guilherme and Rafael Mendes"* at the Art Of Jiu-Jitsu academy. After the reply, Jeremy (father) and Chimele (mother) took Cole to AOJ in California as a present; the two loved the environment there and believed it to be a perfect fit for Cole to develop. By a stroke of luck, Abate senior had a work opportunity around this time that supported a move to Costa Mesa, so Cole's dream came true in 2019. After years of repeated success in the colored belt divisions, on July 10, 2023, Cole Abate was promoted to the black belt rank by his instructor, Guilherme Mendes. Cole Abate arrived at AOJ as a green belt, receiving his following promotions from Gui Mendes. COLE ABATE'S BJJ RANK PROMOTIONS: - November 11, 2019 (BLUE, 15YO) - December 2, 2021 (PURPLE, 17YO) - January 25, 2023 (BROWN, 18YO) - July 10, 2023 (BLACK, 18YO) Traditionally, BJJ Heroes has only accounted for black belt records as they signify an athlete's entry into our sport's elite ranks. Abate, however, is a special case as he had been competing in the pro-grappling circuit since his teenage years as a lower-ranked athlete. This has left BJJ Heroes with a delicate predicament of defining when to start accounting for the young prodigy's match records. Considering the real challenge Cole offers to any big event he competes in, we have decided to add Abate's matches at a pro level before him being ranked as a black belt, for historical purposes. Our readers should keep in mind that Cole was competing as an underage athlete up until July 2023. His black belt debut took place in Australia, at the Tough Roll event. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );