Japanese submission artist Shinya Aoki will face Cole Abate in a submission grappling contest at ONE’s event in Singapore on December 6, with the main card also featuring an MMA title bout between Christian Lee and Alibeg Rasulov.
Guess who’s back in the grappling game? Yep, one of MMA’s legendary submission artists, Shinya Aoki, is returning to the mats. Mark your calendars for Dec. 6 when he takes on Cole Abate at ONE’s upcoming show in Singapore. The announcement came out on Tuesday, and fans are buzzing!
Aoki’s last appearance in the ONE cage was nothing short of dramatic. In January, he took on John Lineker in an openweight bout—talk about a last-minute shuffle! Sage Northcutt was out, Lineker stepped in, and Aoki delivered with a slick submission.
But hey, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for “Tobikan Judan.” Before his win against Lineker, he hit a rough patch with four straight losses. Two knockouts in MMA—courtesy of Saygid Izagakhmaev and Yoshihiro Akiyama—and two grappling defeats to jiu-jitsu prodigies Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci.
Now, let’s talk about Cole Abate. This kid’s got some serious chops! At just 22 years younger than Aoki, he’s already making waves. A black belt under Guilherme Lemos, Abate clinched the ADCC East Coast Trials back in 2021 as a blue belt—at only 16! Oh, and he just snagged the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi title too.
And if that’s not enough excitement for you, ONE Fight Night 26 is packing more punches. It’ll be streaming live on Amazon Prime, featuring an MMA title showdown between Christian Lee and Alibeg Rasulov as the main event. Can’t wait!