The Theory That the Lupe vs. Daigo Fight Was Staged [Update]

Last night, Lupe Fiasco beat Daigo Umehara in Street Fighter V. The result was unexpected, and some believe, perhaps, staged.

There could be other factors the contributed to this outcome. Maybe Daigo was jet-lagged, maybe he’s still not that familiar with Street Fighter V, or maybe he was being polite. Or maybe, you know, Lupe is good.

Prior to publication, Kotaku reached out to Alex Verrey at MadCatz and asked if the Lupe fight was staged. Verrey replied, “No sir, it was not! Daigo would never allow such a thing.”

Congrats to @LupeFiasco ! Great match vs @daigothebeast ! #LupeVSDaigo pic.twitter.com/6AUevZlp0q

— MAD CATZ (@MadCatz) February 16, 2016

(Kotaku also reached out to Capcom and Daigo’s spokesperson, but haven’t heard back yet.)

Update – 7:32pm February 16: Daigo issued the following quote to Kotaku: “Given that Lupe is such a wildly talented artist, it shouldn’t be surprising that he came to play against me last night. I would like to congratulate him on his victory last night, but let’s say that you can eagerly await a rematch. The crowd warmly welcomed us and was so excited. I thought it was a great run. Lupe gifted me his own “Metal Gear” jacket (which I wore at the autograph session latter). I believe it was because he thought we had good matches too!”

LUPE BEAT DAIGO AND HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT pic.twitter.com/yJ2H7SQj3R

— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 16, 2016

Hrm…

Daigo sandbag is so good. When Lupe jumps you see him pump the anti air uppercut and then think, "Oh yeah I have to let him jump"

— Sajam (@Sajam) February 16, 2016

@JWonggg Obviously a staged publicity event, Daigo sandbaggin' harder than the coast guard

— Kevin Kim (@aznxk3vi17) February 16, 2016

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699444103847813120

Lupe Fiasco took a game of Street FIghter V against Daigo Umehara. #STAGED

— Jovan (@AlphaDragon925) February 16, 2016

The sandbag is so real right now in the Lupe vs Daigo match 😂 #SFV

— PAG 14K Dula (@Son_Dula) February 16, 2016

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699471182945513472

@fals1fy It was 100% fake. Daigo made so many clearly intentional combo drops/lack of blocks.

— Raziek (@Raziek_) February 16, 2016

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699445825798164481

Others thought it was the real deal.

[Via EventHubs]

Some weren’t sure what to think.

[Via EventHubs]

I can't stop laughin at how Lupe actually beat Daigo lmaooo watching the twitch replay over and over idk if it's legit or rigged

— #1 Steve Kerr hater (@rayyburneracc) February 16, 2016

Then, there are those who just took it for what it was: an exhibition match between a major recording artist and a top-notch professional gamer.

[Via EventHubs]

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699446205156229120

All the people getting all angry saying that Lupe vs Daigo was fake are the same kids you grew up with that told you Santa wasn't real

— Michael (@mmDust) February 16, 2016

Some people thought the most important thing is that the fight will help the fighting game community grow even more.

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699445213295730688

IMO: Lupe vs Daigo was staged, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that it brought publicity to SFV and the FGC.

— Master Raven (@masterravenIL) February 16, 2016

Some real talk:

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699446968561455104

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699465156007456768

And finally:

https://twitter.com/embed/status/699445608726208512

Top GIF via Random Gaming | YouTube

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft