SonicFox walks out of Mortal Kombat 1 Finals after falling debris, nonstop production issues

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Dominick “SonicFox”-a globally recognized champion in fighting games-left the medal ceremony at the 2025 Mortal Kombat 1 Finals, stating it was the “worst tournament” of their career.

The Mortal Kombat 1 Pro Kompetition Finals happened September 26-28 in Mexico City. It brought together the best players from around the world for a final showdown. This event capped off a competitive season that started back in January, representing months of intense competition.

As a huge fan, I was so excited to see that Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean had already qualified for the Finals this year! Seriously, this player is incredible – they actually won last year’s MK 1 Finals, and were number one in the League’s global standings for 2025. It’s amazing to watch them compete!

However, the Finals didn’t begin smoothly. Competitors reported several problems with the venue on social media, including leaks caused by heavy rainfall. These leaks reportedly dripped onto the commentators while they were broadcasting the stream.

Just so everyone knows, there was real debris falling around Ketchup yesterday.

Also, the roof sprung a leak during the rain. We had a puddle in our area for about 30 minutes 🫠🫠🫠

— Anas Bananas (@Anas_Bananas1) September 28, 2025

The stream experienced several issues during production. Viewers sometimes heard the incorrect language tracks during caster analysis, and stream overlays remained visible at unhelpful moments.

And to make things even worse, I heard that problems with how the initial matchups were set up-the seeding-actually made the organizers have to completely restart several brackets. It really delayed the whole competition and, honestly, it was super frustrating for us players.

LOL

Just picture this: K&M are commentating what would be the most shocking result ever in the Top 8 of the Finals, and the broadcast team accidentally plays commentary in the wrong language.

I’m not even kidding – this actually happened.

— Evan Hashimoto 🍇 (@WonderChefCooks) September 28, 2025

The biggest problem happened during a crucial match in the tournament. While SonicFox was battling Kanimani in the Top 8, the production team stopped the fight unexpectedly to resolve an audio issue.

Throughout the history of esports, many technical issues and problems have occurred during tournaments, but stopping players during a match is extremely rare. This interruption forced the players to restart, disrupting SonicFox’s focus and ultimately leading to a fifth-place finish.

SonicFox refuses medal after Mortal Kombat Finals production woes

McLean expressed their disappointment with the Mortal Kombat 1 Pro Kompetition Finals on X, describing it as the “worst tournament” they’ve ever attended. As a sign of protest, they even left the venue before accepting their medal.

“Seriously, they paused the match while Kani and I were playing to fix the audio, instead of waiting until the round was over. I’m so frustrated with this tournament,” they said. “I honestly think this is the first time I’ve ever been truly, TRULY, angry at an event, and it completely ruined my focus.”

Seriously, they paused the match between Kani and me to fix audio instead of waiting until the round was over. I’m so frustrated with this tournament right now. It’s ridiculous.

— SonicFox @ Final Kombat 🇲🇽 (@SonicFox) September 28, 2025

I was incredibly frustrated all weekend. They really messed up everything – from the initial planning and organization to the venue being in disrepair, and even to the point of interrupting Kani and me while we were performing. Honestly, I’m past caring about it now. I just want to go home.

I was incredibly frustrated all weekend. They messed up absolutely everything – from the initial planning and participant selection to the venue literally falling apart, and even cutting me and Kani off while we were performing.

Honestly, I don’t even care anymore; I just want to go home.

— SonicFox @ Final Kombat 🇲🇽 (@SonicFox) September 28, 2025

Commentator Evan Hashimoto also shared his reaction to the match being stopped, stating: “They completely violated the most important principle of fair play, wow. This is easily among the worst incidents ever. I truly feel bad for the players and those broadcasting the game.”

Honestly, this is the absolute worst experience I’ve ever had during a tournament. It’s been incredibly difficult.

— SonicFox @ Final Kombat 🇲🇽 (@SonicFox) September 28, 2025

So far, the tournament organizers haven’t publicly addressed the criticism, and both players and viewers are asking for explanations. Notably, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon was present, but he hasn’t commented on the issue either at the event or on social media.

This isn’t the first time technical problems and poor organization have negatively impacted a tournament. Back in April 2025, the Valorant EMEA League had to stop its broadcast due to technical difficulties. These issues caused several interruptions during a match between Team Liquid and Karmine Corp, ultimately making the game unplayable.

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2025-09-29 21:52