NuckleDu

NuckleDu is one of the best players in the United States, and has multiple major tournaments victories. In 2012 he qualified for the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Grand Finals through the New York City qualifier while netting 13th place being sponsored by Empire Arcadia at the time.{{cite web|last1=USD|title=Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Grand Finals Results|url=http://shoryuken.com/2012/12/08/street-fighter-25th-anniversary-global-tournament-series-grand-finals-streaming-live-saturday-at-1-pm-est-10-am-pst/|website=Shoryuken|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} He was invited for 2013's Capcom Cup for the Street Fighter X Tekken event in which he received fifth place, being defeated by Justin Wong in Winners and Dexter "Tampa Bison" James in Losers Finals.{{cite web|last1=USD|title=Capcom Cup 2013 Results|url=http://shoryuken.com/2013/12/14/capcom-cup-2013-streaming-live-from-burlingame-california/|website=Shoryuken|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} In August 2014, NuckleDu announced his departure from Empire Arcadia following several other players during the few months.{{cite web|last1=Rinaldi|first1=Casey|title=NuckleDu leaves Empire Arcadia|url=http://readyupgaming.com/2014/08/nuckledu-leaves-empire-arcadia/|website=ReadyUpGaming|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} A few months after his EMP departure, he would be signed by professional eSports company Team Curse.{{cite web|last1=Chavez|first1=Steven|title=Team Curse Gaming launches Street Fighter eSports division, enlists Nuckle Du|url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/nov/28/team-curse-gaming-launches-street-fighter-esports-division-enlists-nuckle-du/|website=Eventhubs|date=November 28, 2014|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} NuckleDu would later qualify into 2014's Capcom Cup through the points leaderboards, being ranked at 6th out of the non-qualified players. He would proceed to get 9th place notably upsetting Darryl "Snake Eyez" Lewis in the process.{{cite web|last1=USD|title=Capcom Cup 2014 Results|url=http://shoryuken.com/2014/12/13/capcom-cup-2014-streaming-live-from-san-francisco-california/|website=Shoryuken|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}

In 2015, Team Curse merged into Team Liquid which resulted in NuckleDu being acquired by the latter.{{cite web|last1=Lingle|first1=Samuel|title=Curse Gaming merges with Team Liquid|url=http://www.dailydot.com/esports/team-liquid-merges-curse-gaming/|website=Daily Dot|accessdate=May 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509171700/http://www.dailydot.com/esports/team-liquid-merges-curse-gaming/|archive-date=May 9, 2016|url-status=dead}} NuckleDu notably won both Apex 2015 and Combo Breaker in dominant fashion, defeating Snake Eyez and Ricki Ortiz in their respective grand finals.{{cite web|last1=Bumblebee|title=APEX 2015 Recap: NuckleDu is a champion!|url=https://www.teamliquidpro.com/news/2015/02/03/apex-2015-recap-nuckledu-is-a-champion|website=Team Liquid Pro|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Michael|title=NuckleDu Exorcises Demons at Combo Breaker 2015|url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/esports/stories/1331724996365/nuckledu-exorcises-demons-at-combo-breaker-2015|website=Red Bull|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} At EVO 2015, NuckleDu placed 7th out of ~2200 people in Ultra Street Fighter IV, bowing out to Bruce "GamerBee" Hsiang.{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Michael|title=Momochi Wins Evo 2015|url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/esports/stories/1331736035017/momochi-wins-evo-2015|website=Red Bull|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} During the summer, there was some controversy regarding the EGL Dallas tournament, which NuckleDu won the Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament and was promised $5,000 in prize winnings.{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Michael|title=NuckleDu Wins in Dallas, Snake Eyez Takes Fourth|url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/esports/stories/1331740303839/nuckledu-takes-first-at-egl-dallas-10k|website=Red Bull|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Epic! Gaming Lounge disappears from the scene along with $40K prize money|url=http://esportsobserver.com/epic-gaming-lounge-disappears-from-the-scene-along-with-40k-prize-money/|website=eSports Observer|date=October 7, 2015|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} However, EGL failed to pay him as well as other tournament winners; EGL would later declare bankruptcy.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} NuckleDu was one of the 32 players in the 2015 Capcom Cup in which he placed 13th, also being the second highest placing American in the tournament. He qualified once again through points leaderboards.{{cite web|last1=Saed|first1=Sherif|title=Capcom Cup 2015 – Kazunoko wins, all the results|url=https://www.vg247.com/2015/12/07/capcom-cup-2015-kazunoko-wins-all-the-results/|website=VG247|date=December 7, 2015|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Introduction to the Players of Capcom Cup 2015|url=https://capcomprotour.com/introduction-to-the-players-of-capcom-cup-2015/|website=Capcom Pro Tour|date=November 23, 2015|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}

NuckleDu would later pick up Street Fighter V, notably taking 2nd at DreamHack Austin over Justin Wong. Alex Valle commented saying that players like NuckleDu need to have a superior neutral game in order to beat Wong.{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Timothy|title=JWong ends DreamHack run in dominating fashion|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/15490187/jwong-ends-dreamhack-run-dominating-fashion|website=ESPN|date=May 9, 2016|access-date=May 11, 2016}}{{cite web|title=NuckleDu's Capcom Pro Tour Data|url=https://capcomprotour.com/standings/nuckledu/|website=Capcom Pro Tour|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}

He made an impressive run through the most-prized tournament of 2016, Capcom Cup 2016, without losing a set and won the competition, landing the big prize of US$230,000 for the 1st place. He played a strong mix of Guile and R. Mika throughout the Pro Tour season, and his hard reads and feisty gameplay made him a fan favorite.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

NuckleDu left Team Liquid in December 2017.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

On July 19, 2018, after going almost a year without a sponsor and jokingly giving himself the "sponsorship" tag "My Wallet" in tournaments, Ghost Gaming announced via a Tweet that they had signed on NuckleDu as their debut FGC player and that his first tournament underneath the sponsorship would be Defend the North 2018.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

On January 1, 2019, NuckleDu announced on his Twitter that he was officially a free agent, then on February 13, 2019, he announced his signing to the team Echo Fox.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

On July 6, 2020, NuckleDu announced on his Twitter his indefinite retirement after a devastating car crash left him injured.{{cite web|url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/nuckledu-officially-retires-from-professional-esports-news/|title=NuckleDu Officially Retires From Professional Esports|last=Unnikrishnan|first=Hrithik|website=EssentiallySports|date=July 12, 2020|access-date=August 6, 2020}}

On September 9, 2022, Capcom Fighters announced on Twitter that NuckleDu would return to the Street Fighter Pro League 2022.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CapcomFighters/status/1568343667764789248|title=New season streams October 7th on Twitch|website=Twitter|date=September 9, 2022}}

NuckleDu joined Shopify Rebellion in August 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-02 |title=NuckleDu Joins Shopify Rebellion |url=https://estnn.com/nuckledu-joins-shopify-rebellion/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=estnn.com |language=en-US}}

In Ultra Street Fighter IV, NuckleDu is known as a master of charge characters. His offensive playstyle with Guile is considered unorthodox and attracts viewers.{{cite web|last1=Guerrero|first1=John|title=Perfect Justin Wong in 18 seconds?! Throw on your shades and watch this NuckleDu Guile compilation|url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/nov/08/perfect-justin-wong-18-seconds-throw-your-shades-and-watch-knuckledu-guile-compilation/|website=Eventhubs|date=November 8, 2014|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} While playing as Decapre, he is known for having a tricky yet unpredictable playstyle which adds to his character selection.{{cite web|title=Capcom Cup 2015 Qualifier: NuckleDu Bio|url=http://capcomcup.com/ultra-street-fighter-iv/du-dang/|website=Capcom Cup|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} NuckleDu is also known for his excessive taunting during matches in the form of Guile's shades, which players find offensive and have labelled him as a villain because of it.{{cite web|last1=Bahn|first1=Chris|title=Are NuckleDu's Taunts Offensive?|url=https://pvplive.net/c/are-nuckledus-taunts-offensive|website=PVP Live|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}

In Street Fighter V, NuckleDu's Nash is considered offensive usually beginning with fast-paced movement later turning into a slugfest, a playstyle he is familiar with when playing as the character.{{cite web|last1=MEllis|title=Infiltration's Street Fighter V Dominance Continues at NorCal Regionals 2016|url=http://shoryuken.com/2016/03/29/infiltrations-street-fighter-v-dominance-continues-at-norcal-regionals-2016/|website=Shoryuken|accessdate=May 11, 2016}}

Dang was born on May 12, 1996, in Tampa, Florida.{{cite news |last1=Morrow |first1=Brendan |title=Du 'NuckleDu' Dang: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |url=https://heavy.com/games/2016/12/du-dang-nuckledu-nuckle-street-fighter-esports-player-fighting-game-professional-capcom-cup-background-age-real-name-hometown-winnings-earnings-money-depressing-taunts-taunting/ |access-date=May 11, 2021 |work=Heavy |date=December 3, 2016}} He has a pet dog named Tofu that he cares for and helps him avoid depression.{{cite web|title=Sorry to worry you guys|url=http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1soeku2|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} NuckleDu is of Vietnamese ancestry, and his family is from there.{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Michael|title=NuckleDu Had His Best Year Yet, Wants More in 2016|url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/esports/stories/1331768960935/nuckledu-had-his-best-year-yet-wants-more-in-2016|website=Red Bull|accessdate=May 11, 2016}} In an interview with Chris Bahn of PVP Live, NuckleDu stated he has a fear of flying which is why he rarely travels outside of the United States, but desires to visit Australia and Vietnam.{{cite web|last1=Bahn|first1=Chris|title=NuckleDu on XiaoHai: "I just wanted to remind him who he was playing against"|url=https://pvplive.net/c/nuckledu-on-xiaohai-i-just-wanted-to-remind-him-wh|website=PVP Live|accessdate=November 2, 2016}}

In 2017, NuckleDu donated his DreamHack Montreal 2017 winnings to the Hurricane Irma relief, in which the hurricane affected his home state of Florida.{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Timothy|title=NuckleDu to donate DreamHack Montreal Street Fighter V winnings to Irma relief|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/20662803/dreamhack-montreal-nuckledu-donate-championship-winnings-irma-relief|website=ESPN|date=September 10, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2017}}

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{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://rank.shoryuken.com/rankings/player/byname/NuckleDu NuckleDu's Player Profile - Shoryuken Rankings]
• [https://www.facebook.com/NuckleDuDang/ NuckleDu on Facebook]
• [https://twitter.com/nuckledudang NuckleDu on Twitter]
• [https://www.twitch.tv/nuckledu NuckleDu on Twitch]

{{Fighting game community}}

{{Team Liquid}}

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Category:1996 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Tampa, Florida

Category:American esports players

Category:American people of Vietnamese descent

Category:Fighting game players

Category:Team Curse players

Category:Team Liquid players

Category:Team Razer players

Category:Empire Arcadia players

Category:Street Fighter players