MkLeo divulges health issues that will potentially prevent him from competing

Once the undisputed king of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s fair to say that Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez isn’t quite the all-conquering force that he once was. It seems that there is a pretty good reason for that dip in form, however. MkLeo announced today that he has been dealing with health issues that will now prevent him from competing in some upcoming events.

The issues revolving around MkLeo’s hearing have been ongoing, according to the T1 player’s TwitLonger. He said he’s “always suffered” with his ears and hearing issues. But recently, the problems have gotten worse, with MkLeo saying that he’s “lost” some of his hearing and experienced ear pain at the same time.

For the time being, MkLeo’s doctors have advised him not to fly until they have a better handle on what’s going on with his ears. He’s also spending the week getting tests done and taking medicine to see if his condition will improve. That will mean that he will miss the Battle of Z tournament scheduled for this weekend.

The cancellation comes with some extra disappointment for Leo since this year’s edition of the Canadian tournament is actually named in honor of him, dubbed the “Forma de Leo saga.” Going forward, MkLeo said that he still hopes to attend Ludwig Ahgren’s Ludwig Smash Invitational next weekend in Las Vegas but that he’s not sure if he’ll be able to compete there or not.

In terms of performance, MkLeo’s results have trailed off his usual sterling standards in recent months, finishing in fifth place for Ultimate singles at Super Smash Con before taking a lowly ninth place at Smash Ultimate Summit 5. It’s unclear if his ear issues came into play in either of these tournaments, but if he was experiencing ear pain while trying to play, it’s easy to see how that could throw him off in a fighting game where split-second reflexes and inputs often make the difference between good and great players. Many top Smash players opt to wear headphones and listen to their own music to drown out crowd noise and other distractions, but if doing so actively caused MkLeo pain while playing, that could certainly throw off his game.

Of course, MkLeo has collected his share of tournament victories and high placements over the last several months as well, taking first at Smash Factor 9 and second at Double Down 2022. It’s not like he’s completely faded away. But unfortunately, his fans will have to wait to see him in action again until he and his doctors can figure out what’s wrong with his ears. And at the moment, that puts him at risk of missing some big tournaments.