The protagonist of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy, is arguably the most unique protagonist the anime and manga world has ever seen. His eccentric and goofy personality not only adds humor to his story, but also highlights the hard work and dedication that he has put into his journey to reach so close to becoming the Pirate King in One Piece.
He has been an inspiration to many One Piece fans, and one of them is the currently trending fighter of UFC, Mauricio Ruffy. Ruffy recently knocked out Bobby Green in his match at UFC 313, and it was one of the most beautiful fights the world has ever seen. Ruffy is a big fan of One Piece and the entire anime industry, and he has been quite vocal about it.
It is quite noticeable from the way he fights and also reflects from the giant tattoo he has on his chest. But what fans might not know is that Ruffy’s name is inspired by the One Piece protagonist, and the fighter once revealed how he got this name and became the Luffy of UFC.
Mauricio Ruffy is a big fan of One Piece’s protagonist Monkey D. Luffy
In the past few years, the anime industry has become a part of the mainstream media and has gained its place in the world. The one field where it has reflected the most is the world of combat sports, especially UFC. Many UFC fighters have been inspired by the anime industry and have been vocal about their love for the Japanese art form.
From Israel Adesanya to Ronda Rousey, these UFC fighters have often reflected their love for the world of anime through their actions, tattoos, merchandise, etc. And joining this long list is Mauricio Ruffy, the Brazilian professional mixed martial artist in the UFC lightweight division who has an impressive record of 12-1-0.
Ruffy’s love for anime, especially Monkey D. Luffy, is quite evident from the new tattoo that he got on his chest. It is the Gear 4 form of Luffy, and he wears it with pride on his chest.
Not only that, Ruffy has also been striking the iconic Gear 2 Luffy pose that One Piece fans saw before the time skip in his battle against CP0 Agent Rob Lucci.
Mauricio Ruffy’s inspiration behind his name
Ruffy’s inspiration that he gained from Luffy is not just reflected in his fighting pose or tattoo but also in his name. In an interview (via Super Fight) on the media day of the event, Ruffy made the revelation that Mauricio Ruffy is not his real name and it was chosen by his brother as a tribute to the future King of the Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy.
Ruffy stated:
The origin of my nickname is because of the main character of the world-famous anime One Piece. It’s a cool story. On my debut, my brother changed my name. The audience liked it, went crazy after the knockout and it stuck
He got this name on his debut, and it became so popular among the UFC fans after the knockout that he decided to go with it. Ruffy was also seen shouting that he will be the King of the Pirates after his match with Bobby Green.
Ruffy is one of the millions of people who are inspired by Luffy’s bravery and valor. He is one of the greatest anime characters that the world has ever seen, and he is only going to get bigger and better as the One Piece storyline develops further.
One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
