“I just look like him” - Nabil Anane on striking resemblance with One Piece character
Algerian-Thai fighter Nabil Anane has generated buzz not only for his Muay Thai skills, but also for his uncanny resemblance to Monkey D. Luffy, a fictional character and the protagonist in the hit Japanese manga series "One Piece."
The 20-year-old Team Mehdi Zatout standout said that he is fully aware his connection to Luffy. In fact, Anane also sports a straw hat, which Luffy is known for, and has admitted that he is a big fan of the character.
Anane spoke about his resemblance to Luffy following his latest victory at ONE Fight Night 24 on Aug. 2 in Thailand, saying:
"I just look like him. I got long arms and long legs. He's a robber. And, yeah. I just look like him. Here, below my eye, I got stitches before. I look like him. It's just a character. And also, I watch 'One Piece', but I haven't watched it for a long time. So I will be watching it again because I love 'One Piece.'"
At ONE Fight Night 24, Nabil Anane defeated veteran Brazilian fighter and former world title challenger Felipe Lobo by unanimous decision. He banked on his size and length advantage to pummel his opponent with telling strikes to the head and body. Ultimately, he managed to keep the distance on his opponent en-route to a decision win.
The win was the fourth straight for Anane after opening his ONE Championship journey in June last year with a loss to Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Nabil Anane touts victory at ONE Fight Night 24 as biggest in his career to date
Nabil Anane touted his victory at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video on Aug. 2 as his biggest win to date. He made this known in the post-fight interview session following his impressive unanimous decision win over Felipe Lobo of Brazil in their featured bantamweight Muay Thai clash in Thailand last week, saying:
"Yeah, this is one of the biggest wins in my life, because it's in one of the biggest promotions in the world, best of the best, like Yod Chatri said. Now I'm ranked number three in ONE Championship. So I'm very proud of myself. I'm proud of my team. And thank you so much. Thank you, everyone."
Nabil Anane has already fought five times in ONE Championship, compiling a 4-1 record. He hopes to vie for a world title at some point to add to the WBC Muay Thai titles he won prior to joining the "Home of Martial Arts."