Confirmed: Ryan Garcia is headed to Japan for Super RIZIN 3

Ryan Garcia is headed to Japan.

The troubled boxing superstar has had a wild year. Despite going through a mental spiral that had many questioning whether he should even compete, Garcia shocked the world by beating Devin Haney in an April fight. That win was then overturned when the New York State Athletic Commission found Ostarine in a drug test, leading them to suspend “King Ryan” until April 2025.

In North America, at least.

Garcia initially declared he’d compete in the UFC while suspended from boxing. Unfortunately for him, mixed martial arts (MMA) is regulated by the same athletic commissions as boxing and none of them will step on a suspension issued by a fellow Association of Boxing Commission member. Now there are reports that Garcia plans on boxing in Japan instead, where there’s no major commission with the power to stop him.

We shared the news that Garcia was in talks to fight on New Year’s Eve, along with claims that Ryan might fly to Japan to meet with combat sports promotion RIZIN Fighting Federation for their big Super RIZIN 3 event headlined by Manny Pacquiao. Now the promotion and Garcia are confirming he’ll be at Saitama Super Arena for the July 28th show.

In a social media post shared on all RIZIN FF accounts, Ryan Garcia excitedly revealed his announcement. “I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be heading to Japan,” he exclaimed. “I’ll be attending the RIZIN event and I cannot wait to meet all my incredible fans in Japan. From the bottom of my heart, arigato! I truly love you all. I’m even going to learn how to say ‘I love you’ in Japanese, so I can express my love to every single person I meet. Konichi-wa!”

RIZIN FF is the brainchild of PRIDE president Nobuyuki Sakakibara and started out featuring a mix of MMA and kickboxing bouts. In 2018, the promotion made waves when it coaxed Floyd Mayweather out of retirement for his first exhibition boxing bout against kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. “Money” returned to Japan for Super RIZIN 1 in 2022, defeating Mikuru Asakura. And now Manny Pacquiao is set to headline Super RIZIN 3 against Rukiya Anpo on July 28th … with Ryan Garcia making an appearance.

Garcia is taking a risky gamble in attempting to evade the suspension imposed by NYSAC. Although there is no authority in Japan that can prevent him from participating in RIZIN FF, previous fighters who have attempted similar tactics have encountered additional suspensions from the original commission as a consequence. In order to compete in North America once more, Garcia will have to reapply for a license in 2025. If he participates in a New Year’s Eve fight, there will certainly be inquiries and concerns raised.

Maniacs, I want to hear your thoughts. Do you believe Garcia is daring enough to go for it despite the risks?