“Why Ace is wearing Luffy’s hat?” – Fans react to UFC featherweight’s victory celebration, inspired by One Piece

A successful UFC fighter recently showed his respect for One Piece, both literally and figuratively, by tipping his cap.

This event occurred at the most recent UFC Fight Night, where Amanda Ribas faced off against Rose Namajunas in the main event.

During the same time, Fernando Padilla defeated Luis Pajuelo in the first round with a D’arce choke. Afterward, he put on a straw hat that looked familiar and made a comment during his post-fight speech.

“I’m the king of the pirates!”

A number of Instagram users responded to a post made by @mugiwaraplus, acknowledging this moment and enthusiastically recognizing it as a reference to an anime.

The user @azzu_hu_re__ stated:

“Why Ace is wearing Luffy’s hat?”

In the words of @brendenmcoleman:

“Being an anime fan is the best base for combat sports”

As @seanleifson cleverly remarked:

“I need that exact straw hat. Does anyone know where I can buy it?”

Take a look at the homage to One Piece by Fernando Padilla inside the UFC octagon in the video below:

Recent anime shoutouts by UFC fighters

Israel Adesanya, a well-known fan of anime, has previously held the title of UFC middleweight champion on two separate occasions.

The 34-year-old has shown a strong liking for ‘Naruto’ and ‘The Last Airbender’, two shows in particular.

In addition, ‘The Last Stylebender’ revealed that his well-known nickname was inspired by the world of anime, as he had mentioned in a previous statement:

“I coined that name from the TV series The Avatar. I just related so much to the message and the characters in the show. Aang, the lead in the show, […] I had to realize that he was an avatar by mastering all the elements, and I feel the same way in this realm like I have to master all the elements in martial arts to realize that I’m the Avatar of this world.”

Adesanya’s body art is a reflection of his love for anime, with tattoos of Toph from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, the ocean and moon spirits from the same series, and the Nine-Tails seal from ‘Naruto’.

On the other hand, Jon Jones has expressed his dislike for individuals who are fans of anime, which started as a form of revenge against Adesanya. In 2020, ‘Bones’ posted on Twitter:

“I’m going to the next anime convention and slapping the first 10 people I see.”

Although the current UFC heavyweight champion may not agree, there are actually many fighters who consider themselves fans of anime. Former contenders for the flyweight title, such as Roxanne Modafferi and Alex Caceres, are just a few examples of this crossover fandom.