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How MenaRD conquered EVO 2026 to become a back-to-back SF6 champ
EVO 2026 finished with a bang in Las Vegas as Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena II retained his Street Fighter 6 title to become a four-time EVO winner. Here's how it went down.
With the dust settled and the festivities concluded at the Las Vegas Convention Center, one name still rang out. Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena II etched his way into EVO history with a dominant display throughout the Street Fighter 6 tournament, claiming the top prize and defending the title he won in August last year.
Despite a staggering 2,416 players registered to compete in Street Fighter 6 over the weekend, the 26-year-old proved simply unstoppable as he came out on top to claim the title for the fourth time.
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How MenaRD became the first back-to-back Street Fighter 6 EVO champion
MenaRD was focused on defending his title
© Natalia Martinez/Red Bull Content Pool
With many heavy hitters registered to compete, it came as a surprise that some of the past EVO winners were nowhere to be seen in the finals bracket – such as EVO Japan 2026 winner Yamaguchi. However, there was no such problem for MenaRD as he worked his way through the early match-ups to land a place in the finals bracket with relative ease.
With his first finals match-up against the young Japanese player known as Shigematsu, MenaRD locked in on M. Bison, as each player traded two wins to make it 2-2. The final round went down to a Blanka mirror match, which MenaRD was able to take all the way, securing a place in the upper bracket final.
Interestingly, Shigematsu was one of Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara's training partners for his showdown against MenaRD before EVO Japan 2026 took place, and he even triumphed over the Street Fighter legend during this year's event. Clearly, he has the skills to go far.
Don't mess with the bull SEO
© Todd Gutierrez/Red Bull Content Pool
Next up for MenaRD was France's Kilyan 'Kilzyou' Faucheux, a Mai and Juri player, who was unable to make a dent on the reigning EVO champ. MenaRD delivered a dominant 3-0 display with Blanka, barely giving his rival time or room to fight back, as he stormed through to the grand finals.
Shigematsu, in the meantime, was raring for revenge. Knocked into the lower bracket quarterfinals, the Blanka main faced off against fellow countryman Ryo 'Dogura' Nozaki, a challenging multi-game master, but was able to dispatch the Elena player in a straightforward 3-1 battle.
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Next up was a 3-0 dismantling of Chile's Jaime 'Craime' Bustos, a Ryu and M. Bison player who could barely make a dent against Shigematsu, followed by a face-off against Kilzyou. While the Mai player was able to take the first round, Shigematsu claimed the remaining three rounds to land his place in the grand final.
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A grand final to remember
After clawing his way through to a rematch against MenaRD, Shigematsu was ready to take on the reigning champ. And while MenaRD is associated with his Blanka play, he opted to start the grand final with M. Bison, a bold move which could have cost him dearly.
While MenaRD took the first round, Shigematsu had clearly earned from their first battle and cranked up the heat as he took the next three games, the final two in 2-0 wash-outs. MenaRD looked beatable at this point, and with the bracket reset, it all came down to the final set of games.
With the EVO title on the line, MenaRD broke out his Blanka and put on a masterclass for the ages. For the first time in EVO history, both players were playing Blanka in the grand final and they gave it their all. However, it was MenaRD that delivered when it mattered the most, securing a 3-0 flash for the ages.
Shigematsu put on a solid showing, but MenaRD had the upper hand with his experience and ability to thrive under pressure.
An emotional MenaRD gave heartfelt responses following his win
© Natalia Martinez/Red Bull Content Pool
Asked how it felt to be a four-time EVO Street Fighter 6 champion, MenaRD replied: "It feels incredible, honestly. It’s all because of my environment.
"I’m surrounded by a lot of amazing people. This result and this amount of success is not because of just me, it’s because I have a lot of great players around me, a lot of family and friends around me showing support. That’s why."
Asked if he has any advice for young players MenaRD gave a personal and heartfelt response."I want to dedicate this win to my nephew. I promised him I was going to do it last year. He's growing up and figuring things out, but whatever it is you do, do something you love, and it’ll all work out."
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