Coming off a three-week winless stretch, Smart Omega was left searching for answers to their woes.
Luckily, Jayson “U K I R” Alupit quickly answered their prayers in his first game after being elevated from the Smart Omega Neos to the MPL Philippines.
In his debut on the grand stage, U K I R displayed maturity and mechanical brilliance, helping Omega secure a convincing Game 1 victory on the way to earning the game MVP citation with a flawless 2-0-10 KDA.
U K I R, who was part of the TNC Pro team back in Season 11, admitted that he was extra motivated to perform in his return trip to the big league.
“Gigil na gigil ako bumawi eh kasi ‘yung sa TNC parang hindi ko nabigay ‘yung buong potensyal ko,” he said during the live broadcast.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, he shared that his performance was fueled by his goal of showing that he is much more than what he showed in his initial foray into the league.
(C) MPL PH
“Nakasama ko rin ‘yung iba dun sa TNC. Gusto ko lang ipakita na ‘yung dating ako, nagbago na. Gusto kong ipakilala kung sino ako ngayon,” he said.
Despite the impressive debut performance, however, U K I R was hard on himself performance-wise and remained grounded as the job is not yet done.
“Tingin ko marami pa akong kulang eh. Pero araw-araw, finufulfill ko unti-unti ‘yung mga kulang ko,” shared U K I R.
“Hinahanap ko pa talaga ‘yung totoong laro ko. Tsaka ayoko rin maging kampante sa sarili ko tsaka sa mga kakampi ko. Marami pa kaming hahabulin na panalo. Mababa lang ang rating ko sa performance ko kanina para hindi maging overconfident, para alam ko rin ‘yung mga boundaries ko na may kulang pa talaga.”
U K I R will look to build momentum for Omega as they aim to clinch a second straight win against RSG Philippines on Saturday, April 13.
