“That’s when I’ll be the King” - Nabil Anane channels Luffy persona ahead of title defense against Jonathan Haggerty

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Reigning and undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane of Thailand shares many similarities with his favorite anime character, One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy.

In fact, the 21-year-old has embraced the Monkey D. Luffy persona, even coming out to his fights dressed as the iconic hero.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Anane talked about why he connects and relates to Luffy.

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The 21-year-old told the world’s largest martial arts organization:

“I got stitches here under my eye [similar to Luffy]. I’m tall, skinny, you know, and the character just fits me. And he’s entertaining. Everyone likes it, and everyone says it fits me, so good. So, it’s one of my characters now.”

Anane is ready to return to action and will make the first defense of his bantamweight Muay Thai gold against the United Kingdom’s ‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty.

The two square off at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri, which will broadcast live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, November 11.

Fans in the United States and Canada can visit ONE Championship’s official website for more information on how to watch the event live.

Nabil Anane is excited to compete in Japan again for the second time this year

The last time Nabil Anane was in Japan, he was a tourist. Now, he’s coming back to Tokyo to defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri.

Anane is excited, he told ONE Championship:

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that again. The Japanese people loved it. Well, I love Japan, too. Not only the fighting culture, but the people. Very nice, very polite, streets are clean, food is good. I love Japan.”

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Nabil Anane vs. Jonathan Haggerty.

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About the author

Dan Paulo Errazo

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Himakshu Vyas

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