"For me, there's nothing more special than working with athletes who are passionate and dedicated to pursuing their dreams. Cole fits this profile, I met him when he visited us a month ago and I really liked his work ethic. 2020 will be his first year as a juvenile, its the beginning of a new stage of his career and I am excited to help him win everything."  –Professor Gui Mendes, AOJ

Struggling to find challenging opponents in Texas, Cole often competed against older and heavier juveniles. If you're not familiar with Cole, below are some highlights of his previous matches.

After catching up with Cole and his father for an interview about the switch, this is what Cole had to say. 

"My dad had a work opportunity on the West Coast. He asked if I could train anywhere in the world if we had to move, where would it be?…and I answered him with “at AOJ with Prof’s Gui and Rafa." The first day I visited AOJ Professor Gui immediately made me feel welcomed. There are so many high-level competitors, after the first training session I knew this was home for me, everything just felt right. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from Professors Gui and Rafa and look forward to building on what Professor Rodrigo has taught me." – Cole Abate

Be sure to watch Cole compete this Saturday at Fight 2 Win 121.

Watch F2W 121 LIVE On FloGrappling Aug. 10