Cover-Credits:
Winning the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League (MPL) Cambodia (KH) Autumn Split 2022 trophy is a major achievement for Burn x Flash head coach John "Zico" Dizon as he was able to put his critics to rest. The coach was previously blamed by fans for Nexplay EVOS’ early elimination from the MPL Philippines (PH) Season 9 playoffs stage. Taking his expertise to Cambodia, Zico led Burn x Flash to win the MPL KH Autumn Split 2022 championship title along with a ticket to the M4 World Championship. He indicated during a media interview that this victory was his way of proving his critics wrong.
Coach Zico shares his journey in the Cambodian MLBB esports scene
Burn x Flash is among the first teams to have secured a ticket to the M4 World Championship. The second one was Turkiye Sampiyonasi, an MLBB team from Turkey who won the qualifier event titled Incendio Supremacy.
Having accomplished his biggest achievement yet, Zico expressed his determination to win and prove himself as one of the elite coaches in the MLBB esports scene.
“Winning is important for me. Because first of all, I want to prove to the doubters, because a lot of people truly doubt me,“ said the coach. “I want to prove that I can lead a team to a championship title which I already did and I’m proud of myself.”
He added that being competitive runs in his blood and his new team is competitive like him as well.
“I’m very competitive, I don’t want to lose. So I focused on ML [Mobile Legends] and my players were also hungry to win because they lost to See You Soon last season and they want revenge,” explained Zico.
Winning the MPL KH Autumn Split 2022 title humbled the coach to the point where he was left speechless as he didn't expect to achieve it this early in his journey in Cambodia.
“I’m so happy, when we became the champions I have nothing to say, I was so speechless. I myself did not expect that I would grab it this fast. I’ve only been in Cambodia for three months, one season under Burn [x Flash].” Zico said.
He also shared his observations of Cambodia’s MLBB esports scene, revealing the massive skill gap compared to the Philippines (PH) which is considered the strongest region.
“Here in MPL KH, it’s a bit lacking unlike PH where everyone is strong. In here, to be honest, I just suddenly was able to keep up with the top teams so it felt lacking,” explained Zico
Despite this, the Burn x Flash coach was surprised to see how supportive and friendly the MLBB fans are in Cambodia.
“It was wild and amusing. I did not expect that the community would be this big in Cambodia. Their support is overwhelming, the community is not toxic,” said Zico.
The MPL KH Autumn Split 2022 Grand Finals day, according to Moonton, had the largest live venue audience count in the league, with up to 2,000 fans attending. On the LED displays in AEON Mall, fans and interested passersby were able to watch the bouts outside the venue via live streaming. Additionally, the league attracted 110,040 peak viewers during its grand finale match, according to a report from Esports Charts.
