Manny Pacquiao will be “involved” with MMA promotion Rizin’s next event.
Former PRIDE and now Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara took to social media to tease a signing of yet another legendary boxer. Following Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition bout in Japan on new year’s eve, Sakakibara now states that eight-division boxing champ Manny Pacquiao will be “involved” with their next event at Rizin 15.
I’m here in the Philippines. RIZIN.15 will have this man involved in a way. We will be ready to announce as I get back to Japan! #rizin15 #MannyPacquiao pic.twitter.com/58lv5xwPMb
— NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA (@nobu_sakakibara) April 7, 2019
Specifics of the deal have yet to be announced as of this writing, but Sakakibara’s tweet didn’t mention anything about the Filipino actually fighting for their promotion. Rizin 15 also happens in just two weeks, so Pacquiao being “involved in a way” could just mean he will be there in a promotional and marketing and marketincapacity.
Stranger things have happened in MMA though, especially in Japan, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out.
Rizin 15 happens on April 21, and will have Kyoji Horiguchi defending his title against UFC vet Ben Nguyen.