Evo is considered to be the apex of the fighting game year for a reason, and this year proved that by having over 9,000 total entrants—with more than 7,000 of those players competing in the Evo debut of Street Fighter 6. Three days and countless sets later, AngryBird stood atop the masses and hoisted the trophy after an incredible grand final against MenaRD on Aug. 6
Along with this being the biggest Street Fighter and Evo tournament of all time by a wide margin, AngryBird had to fight through dozens of top players who have all had a place in Evo history at some point over the last two decades. That includes wins over SonicFox, Momochi, Fujimura, and Fenritti just to make it to the final day—showing just how stacked the bracket was from top to bottom.
“The game is still so new, but there are so many strong players,” AngryBird said to Dot Esports. “We are just over three months into the game and everybody is improving. Everybody is catching up to each other. I’m happy to be one of the players who improved a lot since the beginning of the game and I am looking forward to watching each and every event while hoping for the best [for SF6.]”
During his top-six run, AngryBird survived a brutal battle with Kakeru’s JP, became the first player to even take a round off of Punk throughout the event, and had to overcome reigning Capcom Cup champion MenaRD to lift his long-awaited Evo trophy.
That grand final against Mena was arguably the highlight of the entire tournament, as two titans clashed—all while showing nothing but respect for each other and the community.
At one point, Mena’s controller disconnected, which would have given AngryBird a free round should he have taken it. Instead, the Jordanian/Emirati player waved it off and allowed waited for the problem to be corrected before the two traded blows as if nothing had happened.
That happened in the first round after Mena reset the bracket, and AnrgyBird would go on to clean up that series 3-1 and cry tears of sheer joy as the cheers of a sold-out Mandalay Bay crowd echoed around him. Though, even in front of that many people, his approach to the game and his preparation didn’t change.
“I’ve been on big stages and I’m used to such [a thing,]” AngryBird said. “I try my best not to care about who is watching me and just care about my gameplay and what I want to offer [in the game.] I’m a religious man, so I depend on Allah for everything. So for me, I’ll do my best and just the result is on Allah.”
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While the moments on stage were magical, AngryBird tried his best to avoid looking or thinking about the crowd until the very end because he “wanted to stay focused on being in the zone.”
With this win, AngryBird not only takes home $20,000 and the biggest win of his career but also becomes the first person to earn a spot at Capcom Cup X, which will be close to a $2 million tournament next year.
Now, he, Mena, and many of the other top players who competed at Evo 2023 will be flying out to Saudi Arabia to compete in the $1 million Gamers8 Street Fighter 6 Invitational from Aug. 10 to 13.
