WATCH: Nabil Anane channels his inner Pirate King ahead of world title unification rematch against Superlek at ONE 172

Newly crowned ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane draws inspiration from the beloved Japanese anime and manga series, One Piece, particularly its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.

Aside from his admitted resemblance to the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, the towering Thai-Algerian also possesses a monstrous reach of about 80 inches. This has led fans to compare his punches and kicks to that of Luffy's famed "Gomu Gomu no Mi" techniques.

About a month away from his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title unification bout with bantamweight Muay Thai and flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, ONE shared a One Piece-themed edit of his exploits in the promotion on Instagram, with the accompanying caption:

"Pirate King power 🏴‍☠️ Will Nabil Anane get his revenge and become the undisputed ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion when he rematches Superlek at ONE 172?"

ONE recently confirmed that Anane and Superlek's bantamweight Muay Thai world championship unification bout will take place at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Anane cemented his opportunity to avenge his June 2023 promotional debut defeat to 'The Kicking Machine' with a first-round TKO of Nico Carrillo over the interim crown at ONE 170 this past Jan. 24.

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Nabil Anane thanks Superlek for early setback in ONE career

Nabil Anane has been undefeated in six fights since Superlek caught him with a vicious body shot knockout in their first encounter — a moment the young star deemed instrumental to his newfound success.

During the ONE 170 post-fight press conference, Anane stated:

"First of all, I want to thank Superlek for giving me the opportunity to know what a world-class athlete is like. I've been improving myself since that loss with Superlek, and I've been training very hard, and I'm ready to face him."

Watch the entire press conference here: