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Big Bird Emerges Victorious At Red Bull Kumite!
Big Bird is the first Red Bull Kumite champion of African descent
Adel "Big Bird" Anouche has emerged from the cage victorious at Red Bull Kumite after overcoming Chris "Akainu" Onema in a dominating 5-1 Final, making the case for himself as one of, if not the, best Street Fighter 6 player in the world. The star-studded tournament, hosted at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, showcased the talent of the continent with Algerian-born Big Bird taking home first place and South African JabhiM besting arguably the greatest Street Fighter player of all time, Tokido.
Younes "AKAINU" Ouahim and Adel “BIG BIRD” Anouche
© Mpumelelo Macu / Red Bull Content Pool
I still can’t believe it, it feels surreal, and amazing. It feels so good winning the tournament here, in my continent. I’m very happy to be the first ever African Champion of Red Bull Kumite.
01
LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER
On Saturday, Day One saw a 128-person Last Chance Qualifier, with players from across the world competing to earn the single open slot at the main event. The final saw battle saw Britain’s EndingWalker, a young Street Fighter prodigy, take on Japanese powerhouse Kakeru in the high-pressure LCQ Grand Final. In the end, however, the Brit was no match for Kakeru, who closed the game out 3-0.
02
THE TOP 16
Sunday saw the titans of Street Fighter descend to the cage, as the world’s top talent blind-picked their bracket, only discovering their first opponent moments before the action kicked off. The round of 16 saw defending champ Problem X send a serious message, with a 5-0 victory over iDom. Akainu and Oil King also completed 5-0 sweeps in the opening round, over Leffen and gachikun respectively. Elsewhere in the opening 16, the random draw saw close friends and fellow UAE competitors AngryBird and Big Bird forced to face off, with Big Bird taking the close 5-4 victory. Zhen also took a 5-4 victory over Bonchan, Mono 5-3 over Mister Crimson, and LCQ winner Kakeru showed out by beating NL in a resounding 5-1 performance.
03
HOMETOWN HERO
The local hero
© Mpumelelo Macu / Red Bull Content Pool
However, the match of the tournament was hometown favourite and underdog JabhiM facing the historic king of Street Fighter, Tokido. Potentially the worst match-up for the South African, he took on the player known as Murderface and in a shocking upset earned an incredibly close 5-4 victory. The home crowd were on their feet as JabhiM’s Chun-Li skills saw him make history not just for himself, but his country and his continent.
ROAD TO THE FINALS
The next round saw Kakeru prove he belonged just as much as everyone else, dispatching the reigning champ Problem X with ease in a 5-0 victory. Big Bird took a dominant victory against Zhen, Akainu dispatched Mono, and to the dismay of the home fans, JabhiM was soundly beaten 5-2 by a calm and collected Oil King.
The Mzansi Crowd
© Mpumelelo Macu / Red Bull Content Pool
The Semi-Finals were when breakout player Kakeru’s run came to an end, with Big Bird’s Marisa too much for Kakeru to handle. The young star put up a valiant fight, however, Big Bird took the lead and didn’t look back, taking the match 5-1. French player Akainu, initially a last minute replacement, was matched up against a powerful looking Oil King, however didn’t miss a beat as he progressed to the Final with a 5-1 victory.
04
THE FINAL MATCH-UP
Entering the final matchup, it seemed that either player could take home first place. However, Big Bird again used Marisa to dominate his opponent, delivering heavy hits and perfectly dealt combos that Akainu was unable to counter. Big Bird took lead of the match early, and didn’t look back, capping off a dominant run with a 5-1 result that allowed him to earn the title of Red Bull Kumite Champion. Of Algerian descent, Big Bird is the first African Red Bull Kumite Champion.
This year’s tournament was the biggest Red Bull Kumite ever, with more than 160,000 concurrent viewers at its peak. Check out more stats, here.
