After main Group Bandits to victory on the Road Fighter League 2025 US Finals, MenaRD has cemented his standing as one of many collection’ best gamers of all time… however he’s not accomplished but.
Dominican Road Fighter professional Saul Leonardo ‘MenaRD’ Mena II boasts a laundry record of achievements that few different combating sport gamers can match. He’s a three-time Evo champion, on prime of being the one particular person in historical past to ever win Capcom Cup twice.
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He’s been on a tear in 2025, successful Evo Japan, Evo Las Vegas, and even taking dwelling the Road Fighter League US Professional-US Finals in a shocking Grand Finals set towards fellow combating sport star Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley.
This match, particularly, confirmed simply how dominant Mena has turn into. He appeared to have a solution for Punk’s each transfer, even when his opponent switched characters from Cammy to Akuma in a last-ditch effort to interrupt his psychological obtain.
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We acquired the possibility to talk with MenaRD after this thrilling victory, the place we requested him how he feels about becoming a member of Road Fighter legends like Daigo, Tokido, and Nuki within the GOAT class.
MenaRD is embracing his standing as the brand new GOAT of Road Fighter
Surprisingly, Mena revealed that he’s at peace with this label, and stated that he’s acquired rather more he’d like to perform in his profession. Particularly, he talked about that he desires to win his third Capcom Cup, take Evo France, and at last earn the title of Esports World Cup Champion.
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“Actually, it’s a fairly loopy factor,” he admitted. “It’s one thing that I at all times considered after I was younger, however now it’s a actuality, and it’s been a actuality for some time. I simply suppose there’s extra to do. There’s at all times one other factor to do, and I gotta preserve motivated and play day-after-day to attain better issues.
“Now it’s a matter of, I really feel at peace. I really feel good that I used to be capable of assist my buddies, but when I had misplaced, I used to be going to really feel fairly unhealthy. So it’s about that. It’s about having that peace and incomes that reduction now.”
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MenaRD says Daigo “isn’t ready” for his abilities in long-awaited FT10 match
One among these “better issues” he’d like to perform is maybe the largest achievement a Road Fighter participant can attain: beating Daigo Umehara in a first-to-ten set.
Daigo was Japan’s first-ever skilled gamer and is without doubt one of the 5 Gods of combating video games. Whereas his aggressive outcomes have waned with Road Fighter’s most up-to-date titles, his abilities in Third Strike, the Alpha collection, and SFIV stay uncontested.
Daigo is thought for ‘downloading’ gamers in prolonged units, particularly first-to-ten battles, the place he’s whittled down a few of Road Fighter’s best abilities so harshly that they’ve shed tears.
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Earlier this 12 months, MenaRD put ahead an official request to Daigo asking for a first-to-ten exhibition match. It’s been months since then, with nothing organized on the time of writing… however Mena is assured that it’ll occur quickly. And when it does, he’s positive that he’ll win.
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“I feel it’s coming this 12 months,” he advised us. “I’m prepared to attend endlessly, however I feel it’s coming this 12 months.
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“I’m extraordinarily assured, 10 out of 10. I really feel like he’s going to come back stronger than what all people thinks, however I feel no person is aware of how sturdy I’m going to come back for that set, so he’s not going to be ready for me.”
Now, all that’s left is for Mena to arrange for Capcom Cup and the Road Fighter League World Finals, the place Group Bandits will face off towards the EU’s Ninjas in Pyjamas and the as-yet undetermined staff from Japan.
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