Cole Abate will now be returning to action against Samuel Nagai at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5th, 2025. The match will be taking place at featherweight and it has pretty big implications for the future of that division at ONE Championship, because the belt there is currently vacant. Both Abate and Nagai are among the very best in the world at that weight and a win here could propel either man into a title-shot. Featherweight is actually one of the most packed divisions at ONE Championship though, and there are plenty of tough opponents waiting for whoever wins this match.
Gabriel Sousa beat Gianni Grippo by decision at the beginning if the year to move to 1-1 in the promotion and he has a decent claim to a title-shot, but there’s also Fabricio Andrey; who won his debut against Ashley Williams just a few months later. Given how many elite featherweights ONE Championship has been signing so far this year, it seems like their plan is to crown an inaugural champion at some point soon. Abate is actually coming off a submission win over Shinya Aoki last year and although Nagai will be making his debut against him, he’s established himself as one of the best in the world for quite some time now.
This battle between Cole Abate and Samuel Nagai is actually a rematch too, as they’ve met twice before. Both of those matches took place earlier this year and they ended pretty similarly, with Abate winning both of them. He beat Nagai by just two points at a local IBJJF Open before meeting him in the quarter-final of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2025. Abate won by decision that time around and went on to win a silver medal at the tournament, but it’s worth noting that both of those matches took place in the gi. Abate has also had a higher level of success in no gi competition though, so he should still be considered the favorite regardless.
