Saul "MenaRD" Mena ran through Street Fighter studs such as Xian, Kazunoko, Daigo Umehara and Itabashi Zangief to make it to this weekend's Capcom Cup finals. But to win it all, he'd have to beat the man who beat him earlier - Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi, who also is the 2017 Evo champion.

As the Capcom Cup 2016 champion, Du "NuckleDu" Dang was automatically granted a spot at the 2017 event to defend his Street Fighter 5 title. But a recent announcement has thrown a wrench in that storyline, shaking up the established competitor lineup for the most important Street Fighter event of the year.

On Saturday, Marcus "The Cool Kid93" Redmond fought his way back through the losers bracket in Red Bull Battle Grounds' Street Fighter V last chance qualifier for Capcom Cup, eventually securing himself the first-place trophy and a spot in the North American Regional Finals the next day.

Redmond held his trophy aloft for the cheering crowd with tears streaming down his face -- but there was a distinctive voice missing from the audience.

This weekend's Canada Cup is stacked with talent, as players on the bubble fight for the last possible points they can get to make the cut for the upcoming Capcom Cup.

Briefly: After placing second at the Capcom Cup this year, Street Fighter superstar Daigo Umehara is donating his winnings ($US60,000) to NYU's Evo scholarship fund. Nice dude.