Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena has claimed yet another Street Fighter 6 title at EVO, prompting fans to wonder whether he might just be the game’s, and perhaps the franchise’s, newest GOAT.
MenaRD burst onto the fighting game scene with a Street Fighter 5 victory at Capcom Cup in 2027. He has since followed up with strong play on trademark character Blanka, establishing himself among the top players in Street Fighter 6.
But his prior achievements were but a preview to what he’s accomplished between 2025 and 2026, becoming a rare main stage repeat champion at EVO and sparking debate over his place in the long-running franchise’s history.
MenaRD wins Street Fighter title again at EVO 2026
MenaRD was once again crowned champion during the main event of an EVO fighting game championship, defeating Japanese player Shigematsu in the grand finals for Street Fighter 6.
The two players spent quite a bit of time together on the main stage at EVO. They first met in the upper bracket semifinals, where MenaRD established an early lead before holding off a Shigematsu comeback to win the series 3-2. They would meet again after both competitors managed to prevail over strong French player Kilzyou, who ultimately finished third.
The rematch came in the grand finals, with Shigematsu seemingly unlocking a better gameplan to take the first set 3-1. But in the grand finals reset, MenaRD reasserted control with a 3-0 sweep to win the event.
The match-up between the two players was full of intrigue. MenaRD has long established himself as a top Blanka player, being at one point one of the few contending players willing to use the character at the game’s highest levels. Shigematsu is himself a Blanka player of some renown, hailing from Japan and having proven himself competitive at several major tournaments.
Mena seemed to want to dodge the Blanka mirror match, playing M Bison into his Japanese opponent. This saw early success during their initial encounter, but once Shigematsu figured out the match-up, MenaRD had to go back to Blanka to close the semifinal set out.
The defending EVO champion went right back to M Bison in the grand finals after successfully piloting Blanka to a win over Kilzyou. But Shigematsu was again able to sort the match-up, ultimately winning four consecutive rounds to reset the bracket.
It was then that MenaRD switched back to Blanka, finally opting into the mirror for a full set. And it was a wonder that he ever opted out of it, as he won 6 out of the next 8 rounds to take home the championship win.
Where does MenaRD rank among the greatest Street Fighter players?
It’s hard to doubt the status of MenaRD as the Street Fighter 6 GOAT after his consecutive EVO titles, but where does he rank among the greatest players in all of Street Fighter’s long history?
His accomplishments are undeniable. In addition to his consecutive EVO titles between 2025 and 2026, MenaRD also emerged victorious at EVO Japan in 2025. These are the most heavily-attended tournaments in all of fighting games, making them the hardest to win.
His success hasn’t been contained to the current iteration of the franchise, either. He previously won the Capcom Cup in both 2017 and 2023 in Street Fighter 5. The six years of separation between those two landmark achievements shows his longevity, and that the Dominican champion is more than just a star burning brightly at the right time.
Ultimately, ranking players from disparate eras of the long-running fighting game franchise is an exercise in futility. While MenaRD did notably defeat frequent GOAT claimant Daigo Umehara in a 2026 showmatch, it came well past Daigo’s prime and was more of a fun event for fans.
But while ranking Mena directly against the likes of Daigo, Tokido, or John Choi is a difficult exercise, it can’t be denied that MenaRD has now firmly inserted himself into the Street Fighter GOAT debate.
