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Defending champion Du ‘NuckleDu’ Dang has bowed out of the Capcom Cup 2017, a surprising absence by the dominating Street Fighter V player.
Dang earned automatic qualification to the Capcom Cup final after winning a $230,000 prize for his win last year but would also have qualified on his performance this year as Dang took the win in three Pro Tour events, getting a top four finish in four more and tying for fifth place at EVO, in addition to finish in third place on the Pro Tour’s global leaderboard.
Dang is a serious competitor in the Street Fighter scene by any metric, and he was one of the favourites to win, defending his prize. No reason was given for his withdrawal from the competition.
His replacement is 2016 runner-up Ricki Ortiz, who has been out of the scene for a few months and is currently ranked at 84 on the Street Fighter V global leaderboard. As the runner-up, Ortiz gets the auto-qualification, and she has accepted the spot left empty by Dang.
Ortiz tweeted “I know I’ve been away for a few months bettering myself and my personal life. I hope to make everyone proud at CapCup2017.”
Thank you @CapcomFighters for this amazing opportunity. I know I’ve been away for a few months bettering myself and my personal life. I hope to make everyone proud at CapCup2017. 🙂
— ✨Ricki Sophie Ortiz✨ (@HelloKittyRicki) November 28, 2017
Capcom Cup 2017 is taking place on December 8 to December 10 in Anaheim, California.
