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TL;DR: Filipino Tekken veteran Alexandre “AK” Laverez took third place at Takedown 2026 in Lahore, Pakistan — and along the way, pulled off a serious upset. The finish pushes him to No. 15 in the Tekken World Tour (TWT) global rankings. Now he’s bringing that momentum home for Manila Madness 5 next weekend.
His route to bronze wasn’t easy. In the Top 32, he took down Atif Butt. But the real highlight came in the lower bracket semifinals, where he stunned Arslan Ash — the 2023 Tekken World Champion.
Here’s the twist that makes it sweeter: this wasn’t just any upset. Back at Evo Japan 2019, Arslan Ash was the one who beat AK in a bracket-reset grand final — a gutting loss at the time. Seven years later, AK flipped the script completely. Full redemption arc.
He was one win from the grand finals, but reigning Combo Breaker champion Muhammad Farzeen stopped him in a rematch, closing out his run at bronze.
Quick hits:
- Event: Takedown 2026, Lahore, Pakistan
- Result: 3rd place, with wins over Atif Butt and Arslan Ash along the way
- Points earned: 180 TWT circuit points
- New ranking: No. 15 in the TWT 2026 global standings — still inside the qualification cutoff for the season-ending TWT Finals
- 2026 resume so far: A Chain Shift title plus a Top 8 finish at Evo Japan
Who is AK?
This isn’t a new name in the FGC. He started playing Tekken Tag Tournament at just four to six years old, at a mall arcade with his uncle — and was already beating adults back then. By age 13, he broke out with a 3rd-place finish at the King of Iron Fist Global Championship 2013. He’s also a silver medalist for the Philippines at the 2019 SEA Games (Tekken 7), competing as part of Sibol, the national esports team. Off the sticks, he’s currently finishing law school while also managing Playbook Events. Full plate, but he’s still winning.
Up next: defending home turf
AK isn’t slowing down. As the reigning Manila Madness 2 champion, he’s set to compete at Manila Madness 5 on September 19–20 at The Filinvest Tent in Alabang — this time without having to fly out of the country to do it. Fresh off a statement win over a former world champ, he’s heading into home soil as one of the players to watch.
