He appeared in the VIP section of the stadium, and was photographed with his fists raised while facing legendary Muay Thai boxer Buakaw Banchamek.
Ma is the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a Chinese multinational tech conglomerate specialising in e-commerce.
He has been living in Tokyo with his family for more than six months, after disappearing from public view following China's crackdown on the tech sector, according to recent media reports. During his stay in Japan, Ma also reportedly travelled to the United States, Spain, and Israel.
He has kept a low profile since the crackdown, which saw Chinese regulators scrapping the initial public offering of his Ant Group and slapping Alibaba with record fines.
In October 2020, Ma criticised China’s financial regulators, accusing state banks of having a “pawnshop mentality” and calling for bold new players that could extend credit to poor people who lack collateral.