MMA Legend Shinya Aoki To Face BJJ Phenom Cole Abate At ONE Fight Night 26

Former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion and grappling legend Shinya Aoki returns to the bright lights of ONE Championship to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Cole Abate in a lightweight submission grappling battle.

This iconic match between the old guard and the new blood will take place at ONE Fight Night 26, the final U.S. primetime event of 2024, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on 7 December.

The legendary Aoki is often considered one of the most successful submission specialists in MMA history and a flag-bearer of Japanese mixed martial arts on the world stage.

At 41 years old, he boasts a lifetime MMA record of 47-11 and has been competing in ONE for more than a decade, with 22 promotional bouts and 14 wins to his name. He has also faced some of the best submission grapplers such as Kade Ruotolo in ONE.

Standing in the opposite corner will be a young sensation regarded as the brightest star in BJJ. The 19-year-old Abate has been training from a very young age and has won medals in almost every tournament that he has competed in since childhood.

The American sensation won Juvenile World, European, Pan-American, American National Champion, and a Purple Belt World Championship. At age 16, he demolished top stars to become the youngest-ever competitor to win prestigious ADCC Trials, which sent the shockwaves across grappling world.

Each ONE submission grappling bout consists of a single 10-minute round. Now, he is ready to showcase his talent, and a win against a veteran like Aoki would boost his popularity.

The last ONE Fight Night event of the year will be headlined by two-division MMA world champion Christian Lee, who will make his long-awaited return and defend the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title against Turkish fighter Alibeg Rasulov.

Also on the card, Mayssa Bastos puts her women's atomweight Submission Grappling belt on the line against Danielle Kelly, while Petchtanong Petchfergus and Nabil Anane lock horns in a bantamweight kickboxing co-main event. Here is a look at the potential card:

ONE Fight Night 26 Card (As it stands)

• Lightweight MMA Championship Bout: Christian Lee (c) vs. Alibeg Rasulov
• Bantamweight Kickboxing Bout: Petchtanong Petchfergus vs. Nabil Anane
• Women's Atomweight Submission Grappling Championship Bout: Mayssa Bastos (c) vs. Danielle Kelly
• Featherweight MMA Bout: Shamil Gasanov vs. Halil Amir
• Flyweight Muay Thai Bout: Elias Mahmoudi vs. Denis Puric
• Strawweight Kickboxing Bout: Jonathan Di Bella vs. Rui Botelho
• Strawweight Muay Thai Bout: Thongpoon P.K.Saenchai vs. Danial Williams
• Flyweight MMA Bout: Yuya Wakamatsu vs. Gilbert Nakatani
• Flyweight Muay Thai Bout: Nakrob Fairtex vs. Diego Paez
• Lightweight Submission Grappling Bout: Shinya Aoki vs. Cole Abate
• Flyweight MMA Bout: Reece McLaren vs. Jarred Brooks