MenaRD Wins 10-6 in Direct Matchup Between REJECT's Umehara and Evo 2025 Champion MenaRD!

Evo LEGENDS LIVE - DAIGO vs MENARD was held at CLUB CITTA' in Kanagawa Prefecture on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
MenaRD, who stands at the forefront as the EVO champion in the fighting game Street Fighter 6, clashed with Umehara, a legendary player who has led the scene for many years.
A high-profile legend match took place where generations and achievements intersected.

Evo LEGENDS LIVE Umehara (Akuma) vs MenaRD (Blanka) First-to-10 Match of the Century

This match began in February 2025 when MenaRD (@_MenaRD__) issued a challenge to Umehara (@daigothebeastJP) on his X account.

The matchup fighting game fans have been waiting for has finally become a reality.

In this fight, Umehara was the one who launched the first attack.
With that momentum, he easily took the first set.
He also won a close second set, making the score 2-0 in favor of Umehara.

However, MenaRD had clearly prepared a strategy.
From this stage, he began to deploy aggressive moves while responding to Umehara's movements.
He went on to stack up five consecutive wins, bringing the score to 2-5.

Even with MenaRD having the advantage, Umehara kept his keen eye for observation sharp.
He showed off precise Just Parries reminiscent of the past Evo Moment #37 comeback and succeeded in pushing the score back.
He brought it to a 5-5 tie.

MenaRD was the one who shifted into higher gear from this point and broke the tie.
He extended the score all the way to 5-8 in one go.

However, Umehara continued to believe in his own options.
With precise reversals often called the Ume-Shoryu, he brought the score to 6-8 and showed his tenacity.

From here, it was truly a battle of willpower.
Winning the tense psychological warfare that made the entire audience hold their breath, MenaRD brought the score to 6-9, reaching match point.

Both players engaged in a seesaw battle, trading rounds until the very end.
The one who put an end to the fight was MenaRD, who launched a Drive Rush after spotting a split-second opening.
He won the first-to-10 match of the century, resulting in a display of the EVO champion's prestige.

MenaRD Wins Evo LEGENDS LIVE - DAIGO vs MENARD!

The best of the best.

MenaRD slays The Beast and wins the main event of Evo Legends Live! pic.twitter.com/rLFZb78zal

— Evo (@Evo) April 29, 2026

MenaRD won Evo LEGENDS LIVE - DAIGO vs MENARD with a score of 10-6.
The match is being streamed on REJECT's official YouTube channel or Twitch, so let's check out this intense battle!

その代償として、これから先、トーナメントを以前と同じように楽しめるかどうか、自信が持てないかもしれない。
それでも、人生で一番楽しい経験だ。
これが、私の望む生き方だ。

最高に感謝 pic.twitter.com/QSsWjPOYC7

— WBG MenaRD🇩🇴(最強) (@_MenaRD__) April 29, 2026