The preventing sport group is hailing Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II as one of many biggest Avenue Fighter gamers in historical past after successful Evo 2025, the most important preventing sport match on the earth.
This victory alone isn’t inspiring followers to place him on their ‘Mt. Rushmore’ of preventing sport GOATs, although; Mena can be the one Avenue Fighter professional to have received two Capcom Cup championships, an insane feat that hadn’t been completed within the decade because it started in 2013.Article continues after advert
On prime of that, he received Evo Japan twice in back-to-back victories in 2024 – 2025 towards Japanese professionals Ryukichi and Kakeru, the latter of whom can be a former Capcom Cup champion. The 2 met as soon as once more on the primary stage at Evo Las Vegas 2025, one 12 months after Mena’s victory on Kakeru’s dwelling turf — and it was a massacre.
However earlier than these gamers digitally duked it out on Sunday night time, we received the possibility to take a seat down with Mena and choose his mind about his mindset going into the match, having simply received Evo Japan a number of months prior.Article continues after adArticle continues after advert
Pink Bull Content material Pool: Natalia MartinezMenaRD is being thought of one of many biggest preventing sport gamers on the earth following his Evo 2025 victory towards Kakeru.
To MenaRD, mindset is extra essential than any opponent
After watching his electrifying efficiency on Sunday night time, you wouldn’t have believed this was the identical participant. Mena was calm, considerate, and composed, telling us that he was merely ‘taking issues as they arrive’ moderately than getting too emotionally invested in his outcomes.
“ My mindset is simply protecting the entire exterior issues — you recognize, my physique, the entire issues that might come up, my household — every little thing is ready [and taken care of],” he informed us.Article continues after advert
“I’ve every little thing set so I can have peace of thoughts, and I can deal with the match, and check out to bear in mind something that may take away my focus. That means, I can play for hours on Saturday and attempt to have that high quality gameplay that I would like.
“I feel it’s extra essential than making an attempt to fret about, ‘Oh, this particular participant, what’s he gonna do?’ It’s a must to beat everyone, principally.”Article continues after adArticle continues after advert
BigBird says being ‘zen’ is one of the simplest ways to method Avenue Fighter 6
Mena wasn’t alone in his pondering. Final 12 months’s Evo runner-up, BigBird, expressed related sentiments about this 12 months’s match.
“ To be trustworthy, currently my mindset with getting into tournaments hasn’t actually been, ‘Oh, I gotta apply arduous subsequent match, or I gotta work on this and that. My mindset currently has been going to the match and ensuring I’m ready, clearly, however getting in with the mindset that, ‘Okay, I’m gonna do my finest. If it really works, okay, I’m going on, subsequent. If it doesn’t work, GGs, we go to the following match,” he defined.”Article continues after advert
“I feel what you’re answerable for is principally ensuring you’re simply ready, however no matter goes on within the match or within the set, I do really feel such as you don’t have 100% management over it. You may win, you’ll be able to lose, clearly, however ultimately it’d come all the way down to a really split-second choice or a fortunate guess, and I don’t suppose try to be unhappy about it.”Article continues after advert
Pink Bull Content material Pool: Todd GutierrezBoth BigBird and MenaRD shared related sentiments concerning their mindsets going into Evo 2025.
The composure behind MenaRD’s electrifying Evo showdown
Mena’s moderately zen disposition appeared to shift as he labored his means via the bracket. He more and more grew to become extra intense because the weekend wore on, lastly importing a video of himself shadowboxing as a warm-up to the Sunday finals.Article continues after advert
And on Sunday night time, he confronted Kakeru within the Winners’ Remaining by throwing his backpack to the bottom and staring him down, UFC weigh-in model. It was a callback to their previous Grand Finals match at Evo Japan 2024, and a transparent signal that Mena was amped up and devoted to successful his first Evo Las Vegas victory.
Pink Bull Content material Pool: Todd GutierrezMenaRD and Kakeru carried out a callback to their earlier Grand Finals set from Evo Japan 2024 with a fierce staredown.
After tossing Kakeru into the Losers’ bracket, Mena secured his spot within the Grand Remaining. Kakeru climbed his means again up, taking out upstart Hong Kong professional Mickey to as soon as once more meet Mena within the final battle of the night time — and Mena swept.Article continues after advert
It was as if Mena had been a shark that smelled blood within the water. His efficiency was aggressive, surgical, and actual. In a 3-0 sweep, the Dominican professional secured the Evo Vegas 2025 championship… however did his mindset keep the identical?Article continues after advert
We requested him this query on the post-match press convention, the place the beaming champ fortunately admitted that, though he regarded fired-up on the skin, he was calm and composed inside.
“I attempted to take care of that mindset as a lot as I might,” he answered. “In Winners’ Finals, once I stared down Kakeru, that had me fairly fired up. However then, the Grand Finals was simply the technical facet of, ‘I’ve three extra matches than you. I’m in a position to take extra dangers. You’ve got all this stress. It’s very tough for him to be in that place and I took benefit of it.Article continues after advert
“Inside, I used to be very quiet, very impartial and simply ready for the win to have fun.”
This is only one of some issues which have aided Mena in his battle to the highest. On prime of protecting a relaxed mindset, Mena informed us that he needed to put the sport earlier than nearly every little thing in his life to get the place he’s right this moment.Article continues after advert
“The one factor that I see all of us [pros] have in widespread is that we’re not essentially prepared to sacrifice every little thing, however principally put the sport over every little thing. It’s the primary precedence in all of our lives. I see lots of people that they’ve the expertise, they perceive Avenue Fighter, nevertheless it’s not the tip of the world in the event that they lose.Article continues after advert
It’s a great factor in life, nevertheless it’s a nasty factor for competitors, ’trigger it must be that severe. You’re gonna battle individuals that every one they do is play Avenue Fighter all day and take into consideration Avenue Fighter all day, so it’s important to make the sport your precedence.”
Mena is now aiming to be a champion of all 4 Evo occasions, ultimately taking Evo France and Evo Singapore. For now, he’s recovering from his huge victory and setting his sights on the following main — however his efficiency at Evo Las Vegas 2025 received’t quickly be forgotten, having securely cemented him within the preventing sport corridor of legends in gamers’ hearts.Article continues after adArticle continues after advert
