- Primary Subject: Street Fighter 6 (EVO Japan 2026 Exhibition)
- Key Update: MenaRD defeated the legendary Daigo Umehara in a historic First-to-10 (FT10) match, showcasing a clash between traditional fundamentals and modern meter management.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: May 1, 2026
- Quick Answer: MenaRD won the EVO Japan 2026 exhibition against Daigo, but Daigo's performance proves there's no age limit for skill.
Fighting Games are all about stories, and EVO Japan 2026 just added a new chapter to the books. In what was probably one of the most anticipated sets of the year, the greatest Street Fighter player in history battled the greatest Street Fighter of today. Daigo “The Beast” Umehara fought MenaRD in a First-to-10 exhibition match in front of a live crowd to finally settle who is the strongest Street Fighter 6 player.
Both players were out to prove something, but I would argue that this victory is more than just a grudge match. Each heavy blow on this stage would set ripples into the community - statements of how far we’ve come.
Not just in Street Fighter, but fighting games in general.
To understand the gravity of this battle, we first have to know the history that propelled each fighter to the stage. The first fighter, Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, earned his name through a decade of dominance. A fighter with years of experience under his belt, The Beast has been winning tournaments before MenaRD was even born. One of his more famous achievements is the Evo Moment #37 (or infamous, if you’re Justin Wong) Evo, the origin of the Daigo Parry. Just imagine how phenomenal a player you are to have an entire sequence of moves named after you, achieved by only some of the game’s greatest players.
On the other side of the stage, we have MenaRD. A player representing the new age of Street Fighter, and whose first professional showing came during the Street Fighter 5 era. MenaRD was the underdog, a young man from the Dominican Republic who looked at the mountain of legends and gave everything to make it to the top. While his Street Fighter 5 performance caught everyone’s eyes, his record in Street Fighter 6 cemented his name among the greats. With multiple EVO and Capcom World Tour championships under his name, he stands as one of the greatest modern superstars of Street Fighter.
As the list of the greatest players changed over the years, so has the game of Street Fighter. At the core of the game, Street Fighter is all about the small interactions you have with each other. Footsies is the name of the game, claiming space with pokes, fireballs, and movement while fishing for your opponent’s reactions and tendencies. As the years went on, especially in Street Fighter 6 with the drive gauge, the game has evolved to emphasize meter management and offense. The games are also a lot flashier in terms of presentation, and the same could be said for any modern fighting game.
In a lot of ways, Daigo and MenaRD represent both modern and traditional fighting games. Something that people online have noticed during the bout was that for a majority of the matches, Daigo won the first round while MenaRD came alive in the subsequent rounds. What this tells us is that Daigo was more fundamentally sound than MenaRD, utilizing footsies and zoning out with fireballs, while MenaRD shone when super meter became a factor. The master of tradition was beaten by the master of modern mechanics, and I believe that alone is something so beautiful. Both players also made it a point to observe and exploit each other’s weaknesses in their own way.
Let’s face it, Daigo isn’t getting any younger, and all those years have definitely been catching up to him. This showed when MenaRD abused the throw game, testing Daigo’s reaction time and adding to his mental stack. But even if that were the case, Daigo still had a fighting chance because of his solid fundamental skills. I believe that Daigo's win is a testament to how solid fundamentals could elevate your game even with all the modern fluff of meter and installs. It just so happens that MenaRD not only has some pretty solid fundamental skills but also a potent understanding of modern fighting games and the utilization of meter.
I also believe that Daigo is a testament to esports players everywhere. A good friend of mine once told me that an esports athlete often retires from professional gaming as soon as they reach their 30s because of the decline in tactile skills. League players can’t click as fast, fighting game players can’t react as fast, and more. Even though Daigo didn’t win the set, his putting up a fight against young prodigies still shows that there is no hard cut-off for being an esports athlete. The immense respect that MenaRd showed towards Daigo and the rest of the FGC shows that he knows the depth of his win, and I have high hopes for fighting games as a whole.
So the next time you go disrespecting the uncs and aunties at your local FGC, don’t forget that they can still whoop your ass. Because the more things change, the more things stay the same, and no amount of meter can ever protect you from a solid fireball to DP game.
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