Valorant Champions 2023 MVP Maximilian “Demon1” Mazanov revealed in a Plat Chat interview that he was extremely close to joining G2 Esports for the 2026 season. However, circumstances outside of the server prevented it from happening.

Despite being the strongest team in the Americas region, G2 Esports decided to bench Jonah “JonahP” Pulice at the end of the 2025 season. Following the announcement, Demon1 was rumored to be the leading candidate to replace him – only for G2 to go in a different direction and sign Andrej “babybay” Francisty, who had already spent time playing for the team. 

Demon1 Finally Clears the Air on G2

The speculation was finally put to rest when Demon1 appeared in an interview for the Plat Chat podcast. He confirmed that the rumors were indeed true: he did trial with G2 Esports and was legitimately in the running for the spot. 

According to Demon1, the tryout process went well, and he even claimed he outperformed babybay during the trials. However, the move ultimately collapsed due to contractual issues, which he addressed directly:

“As far as losing out to other players like babybay, I never lost the spot,” he said. “The rumor is out there that I did trial for G2 – yes, but I didn’t lose out to babybay because he’s better than me – he’s not. I did not get the spot due to contractual issues with Leviatán. So, stop spreading rumors – your answer is right there.”

Demon1’s answer to the question really shows just how close he was to joining G2, turning the situation into one of the biggest “what if” stories of the offseason.

Would Demon1 Have Fit on G2?

If the move had gone through, the big question would have been simple: would Demon1 have been the better fit for G2?

Over the past few months, babybay has been playing a mix of Sentinel and Controller agents, with Chamber being one of his favorites. Demon1 loves playing Chamber and also has a history of playing Controller agents for Evil Geniuses and Leviatán.

Should Demon1 have joined the team, he would also reunite with his former teammate Alexander “jawgemo” Mor, with whom he won VCT Champions 2023 on Evil Geniuses. They’ve already proven chemistry at the highest level, and their history of running double Duelist together could have opened up more aggressive team compositions for G2. 

However, Demon1 also mentioned in the same interview that his dream role was to do whatever he wanted on a team and not be told what to do, which could have caused complications on G2, as he would have been the newest member joining a team with an already established structure and system.

Champions MVP Still Has It

With Cloud9’s Francis “OXY” Hoang stepping away due to personal reasons, Demon1 was called in as a stand-in – and he has made the most of the opportunity. He has already helped C9 grab its first two wins of the season, posting 1.13 and 1.33 ratings, showing that his fragging power and confidence are still very much there. 

🤫🤫🤫 https://t.co/bDo9Tw1eSs

— Demon1 (@Demon1___) January 26, 2026

Fans can only hope it’s a matter of time before he finds a long-term home and gets the chance to fully show what he’s capable of once again.