Ulsan defends his Tekken 8 Esports World Cup crown

South Korea’s Lim “Ulsan” Soo-hoon has cemented his place in Tekken history, becoming a back-to-back Esports World Cup champion after winning the Tekken 8 EWC 2025 in Riyadh. The DN Freecs star, who also triumphed in 2024, defeated compatriot Yoon “LowHigh” Sun-woong 5-2 in the grand final, taking home US$250,000 and solidifying his status as the highest-earning Tekken player of all time.

Ulsan’s road to glory was anything but straightforward. In the group stage, he battled past legendary players such as Kim “JDCR” Hyun-jin and reigning Tekken World Tour champion Jeon “Rangchu” Hyeon-ho. A setback came in the second phase when Kim “Kkokkoma” Mu-jong sent him to the lower bracket of Group C, but Ulsan responded by eliminating EVO 2025 winner Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique in a thrilling 2-1 match. Ulsan completed his lower bracket run by getting revenge against kkokkoma to secure his playoff spot.

Once in the playoffs, Ulsan shifted into another gear. He swept aside Japan’s Shinya “PINYA” Yamaguchi 5-1 in the quarterfinals, then toppled Kim “CBM” Jae-hyun 5-3 in the semifinals. In the championship decider against LowHigh, Ulsan jumped to a 2-0 lead before his opponent rallied to even the score. The momentary stumble only fueled him, as Ulsan recalibrated, downloaded LowHigh’s strategy, and stormed through the final three games to secure the crown.

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This marks Ulsan’s second consecutive EWC title, a feat achieved by only a handful of competitors across all titles. True to his reputation as a loyalist, he once again relied on Dragunov throughout the tournament, proving the character remains a winning formula in the ever-evolving Tekken 8 meta.

For DN Freecs, the victory earned them 1,000 Club Championship points, moving the Korean organization into a tie for 11th in the standings. With just one week left in the 2025 Esports World Cup, Ulsan’s triumph adds yet another chapter to South Korea’s dominance in the Tekken scene.

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