MenaRD Dominates Japanese Teams Ahead of SFL USA Season

Evo 2025 winner and two-time Capcom Cup champion, Saul “MenaRD” Mena, has completed a successful training camp in Japan, and the results were nothing short of dominant.

His team, Bandits Gaming, featuring Caba, Chris Tartarian, and Booce, traveled to Japan as part of their preparation for the upcoming Street Fighter League USA 2025 season. During their stay, they faced several of Japan’s strongest teams in high-level scrimmages, including Crazy Raccoon, Ibushigin, Sainshunkan Sol Kumamoto, and VARREL.

Bandits won every single set, with MenaRD achieving a 100% win rate against a lineup of elite players such as Shuto, Bonchan, Dogura, 2BASSA, Yanai, TS, Mago, Kobayan, and Nemo.

In a post shared on social media, Mena reflected on the experience and the mental and physical toll of the camp, but also on the confidence it gave him ahead of the new season.

“This training was pure hell. It pushed my mind and body to the absolute limit, beyond what words can express,” Mena wrote.

“But through it all, I gained unshakable confidence. Now, I truly believe in my own game. No matter what kind of match it turns out to be, I'll give it everything I've got so that everyone I've trained with alongside can feel proud. I'm truly grateful. Let's meet again soon.”

Bandits Gaming are Street Fighter League World Champions, having won the 2023 season and finishing as runners-up in 2024 after falling to FlyQuest, led by Punk.

With their Japan bootcamp complete and morale high, the Dominican-based squad appears ready to reclaim the SFL crown.

This year’s Street Fighter League USA season will introduce a new live format, split into two phases. The first stage runs from November 13–16, 2025, and will feature expanded international representation. Two new teams join the league this season: 2Game, featuring rising star Blaz, and Kuai Shou Gaming, led by Esports World Cup winner Xiao Hai.

They’ll join returning teams including FlyQuest, Red Rooster, and Versus Vortex, ensuring one of the most competitive SFL seasons to date.