# Cole Abate ("Ice") > Black Belt | United States ## Overview **Name:** Cole Abate **Nickname:** Ice **Belt Rank:** Black Belt **Nationality:** United States **Gender:** Male **Weight:** 66 kg ## Bio 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 . * Taken from an interview with Jeremy Abate in August 2022. 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) ## Gym Affiliations - **AOJ Mission Viejo** (Mission Viejo, United States) — Instructor - **Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy** (Costa Mesa, United States) — Student ## Specialties - well-rounded ## Achievements - 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2024 / 2025) - 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2025) - 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2024) - 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2025) - 1st Place IBJJF The Crown (2025) - 1st Place ADCC EC US Trials (2021) - 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2025) - 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2022 purple) - 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals (2022 purple) - 3rd Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2022 purple) - 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2020) - 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2021) - 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2021**) - 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2021) - 1st Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2016 / 2018 / 2019) - 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals Kids (2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019) - 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2014) - 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2015 / 2017) ## Lineage - Ramon Lemos - Guilherme Mendes (Black Belt) --- **Last Updated:** September 08, 2026 **Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/cole-abate)