Red Bull Kumite Defending Champion, Chux, Retains Title in High Stakes Showdown 

Iyke Bede was part of the recent finals of a video games championship sponsored by Red Bull

The national finals of the Red Bull Kumite video games championship were one for the books as defending champion Chukwudi Okoli, aka Chux, returned to claim the coveted title after a series of virtual duels. 

Chux, who now earns the rear title of first African to win two consecutive tournaments, commenced his winning streak after comfortably defeating Abuja-based debutant Foley_X (Folorunsho Akanbi) in the first stage of the game, winning six out of seven battles (three successive rounds wins). 

He advanced to the second stage facing off with Kid (Kevin Durst). The first battle was a steal for Chux. Having acquired the dexterity to manoeuvre the character Akira effortlessly to unlock certain features, he gained quick points from punishing and inflicting damage on Kid’s Karin (his frequently used character). 

Kid swapped Karin for Sagat, enabling him to win the second battle of the first round. He ultimately lost the first round after Chux rebounded through aggressive play. Chux advanced to the grand finale after thrashing Kid in three extra rounds of play. Chux was paired against Sheikhster (Shehu Mansur) for the third and final stage. 

Relatively new to competitive video gaming, Sheikhster was noted for his brutal style throughout the tournament, leaving his opponent almost always cornered. The claim became evident after he gained a flawless victory over Lord Mo (Quaye Moses), with three straight wins in the first stage. In the second stage, Sheikhster maintained an almost perfect winning streak, losing one battle to Apprentice (Agbakala Chike). 

With musical interludes, light refreshments, and moments that spotlit the audience to air their opinions of each player, tension grew in the open space of the Old Railway Station, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, transformed into a gamer’s fantasy: the players battled in an enclosed metal cage while the audience cheered and watched the matches on various OLED screens scattered across the venue. 

In less than 30 seconds, Chux reaffirmed that he was the defending champion by obliterating Sheikhster’s Ken. Having lost to Chux in the first round, Sheikhster rose from the ashes to claim victory in the first battle but ultimately lost the second round. 

The third round recorded a first win for Sheikhster as he suppressed Chux into a defensive position. The fourth round placed both in a tie after Sheikhster narrowly won. 

The games would protract into a fifth, sixth, and seventh round that translated to six battle wins for Chux and three battle wins for Sheikhster. In total, Chux won five rounds (three successive wins), leaving Sheikhster with two wins. 

Acknowledging the tenacity of Sheikhster throughout the game, Chux described him as exhibiting growth over time, tagging him a worthy opponent. 

“It was a close match. The 5-2 scoreline is probably not a fair reflection, perhaps a 5-3 would have been fair, but it went pretty much how I had expected it to go. Winning the title feels pretty good, probably because this is the last major tournament for Street Fighter V, so it was really important that I won,” a visibly excited Chux admitted. 

The Red Bull Kumite admitted over 100 contestants from Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. So far, there are no plans for the national winners to advance to the global stage. The international Red Bull Kumite competition was last held pre-pandemic.

NOTE: The terms ‘punish’ and ‘damage’ are gaming terms used by video game geeks. It is reflected in this writing.