MenaRD is the Champion of Red Bull Kumite New York!

• Red Bull Kumite New York, the eminent Street Fighter Invitational, concluded this weekend after 16 of the most talented players in the world duked it out for the honour of the world’s best Street Fighter player.
• MenaRD walked away with the title of Red Bull Kumite New York Champion, after a dominant run against talented fighters such as Rob "Broski" Livingston, Tsunehiro "Gachikun" Kanamori, Victor "Punk" Woodley and Du "NuckleDu" Dang
• Red Bull Kumite New York additionally featured the world’s fiercest Street Fighter players, including Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi, Wong "Chris Wong" Yuk-cheung, returning champion Adel "Big Bird" Anouche and Tsunehiro "Gachikun'' Kanamor.
• Assets can be found here

New York, March 17th, 2024: The Red Bull Kumite world final has concluded this weekend with Saul Leonardo "MenaRD" Mena II crowned as champion, amidst a whirlwind of excitement and adrenaline that saw the world’s best players go head to head! Hosted at the historic Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn, this year's tournament showcased the epitome of Street Fighter 6 mastery and skill. MenaRD’s journey to this title was fraught with challenges, as he navigated through a fiercely competitive field of opponents before ultimately taking the crown.

The event began back in mid-January, with competitors across the world competing for the chance to challenge the very best via the Red Bull Kumite Online Regional Qualifiers. After months of competition, eight players from five different countries proved themselves worthy of qualifying to compete in-person at the Red Bull Kumite Play-in tournament. US player Alan "Nephew" Sun proved victorious after several nail-biting matches, and earned a spot at the main competition.

Additionally, 256 local competitors signed up to participate in the Last Chance Qualifier to fill the one remaining spot at the Main Stage. In the end, it was the US player Kevin "Dual Kevin" Barrios who showed out, with a dominant run that secured that coveted spot.

The Main Event on March 17th saw 16 elite players clashing in a single-elimination format, each vying for supremacy in the world of Street Fighter. The opening ceremony set the stage for an epic showdown, with the bracket draw determining the path to glory for each contender. From round one to the Grand Final, every match unfolded in a first-to-five format (BO9).

Among the stellar lineup of competitors were renowned fighters such as last year’s champion Adel "Big Bird" Anouche, Rob "Broski" Livingston, and Lin "Oil King" Li-wei. From flawless execution of combos to clutch comebacks, the stage was set to showcase the sheer intensity and excitement of competitive Street Fighter.

The round of 16 saw some intense matchups, such as returning champ Big Bird facing off against one of the Five Gods of Fighting Games, Tokido. In the end, it was the new blood that took victory, with Big Bird’s now infamous Marisa putting Tokido’s Ken to bed with a 5-1 result. Elsewhere, up-and-coming star Shin "Leshar" Moon-sup moved forward against Oil King and an all-Japanese match-up saw Tsunehiro "Gachikun" Kanamori put away Masato "Bonchan" Takahashi in convincing fashion.

In the Grand Finals, fans bore witness to a clinical dismantling of NuckleDu’s Guile, as MenaRD was almost flawless in using Blanca to tear apart his opponent in a perfect 5-0 victory. In one of the most dominant Red Bull Kumite final match-ups, MenaRD’s focus never wavered as he dominated one of the game’s most iconic players round by round.

“I dared to dream, to dream that my fantasy would become real,” MenaRD said on his victory. “This is what I shared, good moments and good gameplay. But I also had to do my job, and I’m glad I was able to do it.”

Red Bull Kumite will return, back to where it all began in Paris, France!

Assets for Red Bull Kumite New York can be found here.

Recordings of the Red Bull Kumite New York stream can be found here:

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2093566128
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXAVetlfS4

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