Elite BJJ black belts and Samuel Nagai will lock horns in a featherweight submission grappling tilt in U.S. primetime on September 5 at .
Scheduled for Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the matchup pits two of the planet’s top ground fighters against each other – and fans have plenty of reasons to be excited.
At just 20 years old, Abate is already an established world-class talent with a wealth of experience under his belt. Since receiving his black belt in 2023, he’s quickly racked up numerous accolades, including a gold medal at the prestigious 2024 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships.
Given his preternatural skills and the massive hype surrounding him, it’s no surprise that the American phenom chose to bring his talents to the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Abate made his ONE debut last December at , impressing fans with a seemingly effortless heel hook submission victory over Japanese legend .
“Ice” will now look for another statement-making win against promotional newcomer Nagai.
Born in Brazil and now training in Texas, the 25-year-old enters ONE with his own lengthy list of accomplishments and an entertaining approach to grappling. Notably, Nagai is a 2023 IBJJF World Champion and boasts standout victories over ONE athletes , , and .
Despite his ample success at the highest level, the Chekmat representative has twice lost to Abate in competition, dropping both closely contested matches (which took place in the gi) by narrow margins.
The pair’s clash at ONE Fight Night 35 represents an intriguing meeting of styles.
While the calm, cool, and collected “Ice” is the epitome of a master technician who will control his opponent en route to the submission, Nagai is a true berserker, constantly hunting for the finish from every position and exploding into sweeps and guard passes.
A victory for either athlete on September 5 would further elevate his global star power and set him apart from ONE’s ever-growing roster of submission grapplers.
