After years of dominating in the colored belt divisions, Cole Abate is finally set to make his IBJJF black belt debut on September 1st at the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix when he takes on Eduardo Granzotto in a super-fight. The announcement marks both lightweight athletes' first match at black belt in the IBJJF.

Cole Abate is AOJ's newest black belt, with the colored belt star receiving the promotion at the IBJJF Asian Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Cole's short brown belt campaign included a 2023 IBJJF World Championship, and the ADCC trials winner is widely regarded as one of the best young prospects in any division.

Rayron Gracie broke a season-long dry spell at the best possible time, securing the brown belt absolute title at the 2023 IBJJF World Championships in the first day of competition after securing a silver medal in the ultra heavyweight division.

Atos standout super heavyweight Nico Maglicic locked up double gold in the brown belt divisions on the second day of the 2023 IBJJF Pan Championships, defeating four of his six opponents via submission and racking up points along the way. That marks Maglicic’s second and third Pans gold as a brown belt, he took absolute gold at the tournament in 2022 after earning silver in the category.

Art Of Jiu-Jitsu has one of the strongest competition teams in gi jiu-jitsu, and this year’s team at Pans is one of their largest yet. While AOJ has been deep for years at the colored belt ranks, its black belt squad is now formidable across several weight categories. AOJ's black belt Pans squad features homegrown rookie talent, established veterans in the AOJ backbone, and a few new recruits hopeful to contribute to the Costa Mesa team's success.

Cole Abate of AOJ came in as the #2 ranked Men's Lightweight Purple Belt and had a near perfect submission rate taking Gold in the division. In four out of his six matches, Cole was able to control his opponent's back and utilize their collars to submit. Here is a match-by-match breakdown of Cole Abate's Purple Belt Gold medal run at the IBJJF 2023 European Championships:

Watch Cole Abate's entire run at the 2023 IBJJF European Championship!

It's no secret at this point; Art Of Jiu-Jitsu's Cole Abate is a generational talent.

The submission specialists were out in full force at Tezos WNO: Ste-Marie vs Bastos presented by Fat Tire. Half of the eight matches on the card in Frisco, TX on November 11 ended in submission, and each of them within ten minutes.

The athletes are weighed in, and the mats are down in Frisco, TX for Tezos WNO: Ste-Marie presented by Fat Tire. The final Tezos WNO card of the season is loaded from top to bottom with some of the most explosive and unpredictable athletes in grappling. Tune in to watch all the action, and follow along with this article all evening for real time updates, analysis, results and more!

It's time to face the pain: Josh Cisneros is injured and out of his match No. 6 ranked 145lber Cole Abate due to injury. Yes, we know that stings.

The card has been shuffled and shuffled again; but now it’s fight week, and the betting lines are official for Tezos WNO: Ste-Marie vs Bastos presented by Fat Tire.

The headline bout between WNO heavyweight Champ Pedro Marinho and ADCC 2022 88kg Champion Giancarlo Bodoni has been canceled due to injury, paving the way for Brianna Ste-Marie and Mayssa Bastos to become the main event of the evening.

Update: the main event title fight has been postponed, as both athletes have incurred injuries. Mayssa Bastos vs Brianna Ste-Marie is the new main event. For further info about the changes to the card, click here.

After three years of waiting, the 2022 ADCC World Championships are upon us.  Live from Las Vegas, Nevada at the Thomas and Mack Center, a chance at making history beckons for the 96 athletes who have ventured from around the into the Mojave Desert.  Follow along here for updates on finals action!