Top 10 Best Arm Wrestlers in the World

Thanks to charismatic arm wrestlers and YouTube stars like Devon Laratt, Schoolboy, Larry Wheels, etc, the sport of arm wrestling in the past decade has exploded in terms of global popularity.
But the arm wrestling history used to have a much richer background than we see today.
Firstly, the sport started as a show of strength in the military and bars.
It later transitioned into somewhat competitive as the best arm wrestlers on the planet competed and star pullers like Duane “Tiny” Benedix arose.
Sooner arm wrestling association and arm wrestling federations started organizing events at a global level.
Even non-arm-wrestling organizations like the Arnold Classic and International Federation of Arm Wrestlers or IFAW Results (under IFBB) began organizing events.
Compiling a definitive list of the top 10 arm wrestlers of all time is inherently subjective, yet certain names consistently emerge in discussions of the sport’s legends.
Here are the top 10 best arm wrestlers of all time:

10. Vitaly Laletin

Vitaly Laletin is a Russian arm wrestling champion who has been among the world’s best in the sport for over a decade, consistently competing at the highest levels and winning multiple championships.
Laletin, being comparatively skinny compared to other best arm wrestlers once held the Guinness World Record for the world’s strongest grip, with an official measurement of 159.3 kg, before being surpassed by World’s Strongest Man champion Brian Shaw.
While considered skinny tall he is still a super heavyweight, having gained significant muscle mass over his career and now weighing around 130 kg, which is well above average for most people.
His height and reach also give him a notable advantage at the table.
Laletin has competed in numerous prestigious arm wrestling tournaments. Notably, at King of the Table 5, he faced Dave Chaffee in a highly competitive match that went to a deciding seventh round, ultimately losing to Chaffee in a closely contested battle.
This match is widely regarded as one of the most exciting in recent arm wrestling history.
In the AMC Armwrestling tournament series, Laletin has consistently been a top performer. Recent results show him placing first in the Men’s Right Absolute Over 85 kg and Men’s Right 105+ kg categories at AMC 5 and AMC 6, and he has faced top competitors like Dmitry Silaev.
At AMC 2, Laletin won the Men’s Right Absolute division, and his rivalry with Silaev is well-documented.
Laletin has also faced Levan Saginashvili, the current world number one arm wrestler, in high-profile matches such as the Top-8 Final, where Saginashvili emerged victorious.
Despite the loss, Laletin’s ability to hold his own against Saginashvili impressed fans and demonstrated his elite-level skill and endurance.

9. Levan Saginashvili

Levan Saginashvili, widely known as the “Georgian Hulk,” is a professional arm wrestler renowned for his extraordinary size, strength, and dominance in the sport.
Standing at over 6 feet tall and weighing around 400 pounds (180 kg), he is considered one of the most physically imposing competitors in arm wrestling history.
As of 2025, Levan remains the undisputed king of arm wrestling.
He has held the world number one spot for several years, repeatedly defending his titles against top challengers.
His dominance has continued through multiple years, not just from 2023, and he is a six-time European Arm Wrestling Champion—an achievement that underscores his long-term supremacy.
Levan continues to be the benchmark in the sport, with few rivals able to challenge his supremacy as of 2025.
Even after conceding two rounds to Ermes Gasparini, Levan’s overall invincibility remains largely unchallenged, reinforcing his aura of invulnerability and elevating him to legendary status among fans and competitors.

8. Alexey Voyevoda

Alexey Voyevoda is a Russian bobsledder, politician, and celebrated professional arm wrestler. His athletic career spans both winter sports and arm wrestling, with significant achievements in each field.
Voyevoda was among the world’s best arm wrestlers in the early 2000s, but he was not “10 times the World Armwrestling Champion.”
He did, however, win multiple major titles, including the WAF World Championship (both left and right hand in 2004), and the Zloty Tur (Nemiroff World Cup) in 2004.
His victory over John Brzenk and Travis Bagent at the Zloty Tur 2004 Cup was a landmark achievement, famously documented in the film “Pulling John.”
He was renowned for his brute static strength, especially demonstrated in high-profile matches against Travis Bagent and Andriy Pushkar.
His right arm was considered among the strongest in Europe during his prime.
Voyevoda made a brief return to arm wrestling in September 2023, losing to John Brzenk at King of the Table 8.
In late 2024 and early 2025, he discussed potential future comebacks and remains active in the arm wrestling community.
He is a vegan and has been for several years.
Voyevoda is remembered as an icon of strength and technique in Eastern arm wrestling.

7. Dave Chaffee

Dave Chaffee is widely recognized by arm wrestling fans for his incredible hydraulic power and brute strength, earning him the nickname “Easy Money.”
He has been a dominant force in professional arm wrestling for over a decade, consistently competing at the highest levels across the globe.
Chaffee’s list of achievements is impressive: he is a two-time World Armwrestling League (WAL) Super Heavyweight Champion, a PAL International Super Heavyweight Champion, and a WAF World Champion.
His matches are widely discussed in international arm wrestling communities, and he has competed in major events such as the WAL, Top 8, Nemiroff World Cup, and King of the Table (KOTT), where he has secured multiple titles.
Chaffee is especially known for his “brute horsepower,” which allows him to overpower most opponents with sheer strength.
His style is built on a strong cup and a devastating top roll, often making even the strongest and most technical competitors look helpless at the table.
Among his peers, Denis Cyplenkov is often cited as the only man capable of matching Chaffee’s raw power, though Denis benefits from superior tactics and endurance.
In their most notable encounters, Chaffee has pushed Cyplenkov to his limits, and in at least one meeting, Chaffee initially overpowered Cyplenkov, forcing the Russian to resort to the King’s Move to stay in the match. However, Cyplenkov ultimately won their rematch decisively in 2014.
Chaffee’s main limitations have been his relatively slower flash speed and lower endurance compared to some elite rivals.
Still, in terms of pure power, he is widely regarded as one of the few athletes on earth who can rival Denis Cyplenkov.

6. Andriy Pushkar

Andrey Pushkar was a professional Ukrainian bodybuilder and world-champion arm wrestler.
In Childhood, He saw the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando and decided to become an athlete.
In 2003, Pushkar won his first world championship medal in the heavyweight division.
In June 2013, he was defeated by Cyplenkov in A1 Russian Open World Armwrestling Grand Prix and regained the title by defeating Cyplenkov the very next year.
On 14 November 2018, Andrey Pushkar passed away in a traffic crash while driving in the Rivne region, along with Oleg Zhokh’s (another arm wrestler) father.

5. Travis Bagent

Travis Bagent, known as “The Beast,” is one of the most accomplished and charismatic figures in professional arm wrestling. With over 30 years in the sport, he has secured 13 world titles and 25 U.S. national titles, competing across multiple weight classes and federations.
Travis has won five AAA Nationals titles between 1999 and 2003, and nine national right- and left-hand titles since 2000.
He also the Mike Gould Classic title in 2006 and has multiple victories in prestigious tournaments like the Zloty Tur and the Iron Man Arm Wrestling Challenge.
Regarding arm wresting style, he is renowned for his explosive top-roll technique, which leverages hand control and positioning to overpower opponents.
Bagent’s larger-than-life personality and trash-talking prowess have made him a fan favorite. He was featured in the 2014 AMC reality series Game of Arms, which showcased the lives and training of competitive arm wrestlers across the U.S. . His charismatic presence has also led to appearances on platforms like ESPN and the NFL Network.

4. Devon Larratt

Devon “No Limits” Larratt is widely regarded as one of the most popular and accomplished arm wrestlers in the world.
He is a Canadian athlete whose passion for arm wrestling began in his early teens.
After joining the Canadian Armed Forces at a young age, Larratt gained valuable experience training and competing on military bases, which he credits as a foundation for his discipline and competitive edge.
Larratt’s reputation is built on what many consider the perfect triad for arm wrestling success: strength, skill, and endurance.
He is often cited as one of the greatest arm wrestlers ever due to his ability to combine technical mastery with remarkable physical conditioning.
In 2008, Larratt made history by becoming the first man in 25 years to defeat legendary John Brzenk in a supermatch, winning 6–0 at Arm Wars “Deep Water,” and quickly rose to international prominence as the new top-ranked right-handed arm wrestler.
That same day, he also defeated Johan Lindholm 6–0 in the right arm and Michael Todd and Marcio Barboza in the left hand, showcasing his versatility.
Larratt has faced several injuries throughout his career; he has always competed with both arms, albeit with periods of reduced activity due to injuries.
Being somewhat semiretired in recent years, Larratt transitioned back to the super heavyweight division due to a lack of competition at heavyweight.
He lost to Genadi Kvikvinia in a close supermatch but later defeated Ermes Gasparini 5–0 to become the oldest super heavyweight champion in arm wrestling history and later got defeated by Saginashvili in a very highly competitive match.
As of 2025, Larratt remains highly active, training rigorously and preparing for high-profile matches. He recently defeated Corey West and is scheduled to face the “Polish Giant” Alex Kurdecha at East vs West 18.
Devon Larratt continues to inspire fans with his resilience, technical prowess, and willingness to take on new challenges, cementing his place as a true legend in the sport.

3. Cleve Dean

Cleve Dean was a legendary professional arm wrestler from Pavo, Georgia, USA.
His career was marked by extraordinary dominance in the sport, especially during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.
Dean stood out not only for his immense size—reportedly weighing between 385 and 590 pounds at various points, and standing 6’6” to 6’7” tall—but also for his approachable personality and love of travel.
Dean’s arch-rival, Virgil Arciero, was a central figure in his rise to fame.
Their 1978 supermatch at the Silver Slipper casino in Las Vegas, where Dean defeated Arciero 2–0, is often cited as the match that launched Dean’s reign as the unofficial king of arm wrestling.
Dean’s unparalleled static strength was rooted in his upbringing as a farmer. He spent his early years harvesting cotton and tobacco and raising hogs, developing legendary “farmer strength” through hard, manual labor rather than formal gym training.
This background set him apart from many of his peers and contributed to his ability to overpower almost any opponent.
Cleve Dean passed away in 2011 at the age of 58, but his legacy as one of the strongest and most dominant arm wrestlers of all time remains undisputed.

2. Denis Cyplenkov

Denis Cyplenkov, known as “The Russian Hulk,” is a Ukrainian-born Russian professional arm wrestler, former strongman, and former powerlifter.
While Cyplenkov began his arm wrestling journey in Ukraine and Russia years earlier, he first gained widespread international recognition in 2008 when he defeated Andrey Pushkar 6–0 in a left-hand supermatch at PAL Vendetta #33.
Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, Cyplenkov did not compete in every major event but instead focused on the most prestigious international tournaments, such as the Nemiroff World Cup (Zloty Tur), where he displayed his extraordinary talent.
He won the left-hand Nemiroff World Cup in both 2008 and 2009 and established himself as one of the best left-arm pullers in the world.
Cyplenkov’s only notable losses during this period were to John Brzenk on the right hand in 2009 (PAL Armfight #37), but he otherwise maintained an impressive record.
In later years, he also defeated Devon Larratt 6–0 on the left hand at Vendetta All-Stars #50, earning the WAL Legacy Hammer for his dominant performance.

1. John Brzenk

John Brzenk is officially named by the Guinness Book of World Records, as the “Greatest Armwrestler of All Time.”
His father, an arm wrestler himself, could pull him, his brother, his father’s friends, etc driving young Brzenk towards the sport.
Growing the right physical structure at this age made him able to compete for a long, strong, arm wrestling career.
Brezenk won GOLDEN BEAR Titles: SUPERMATCH (Absolut Champion), 2000,2001,2002,2009 Harley Pull Titles, Over the Top World Championship (defeating Richard Lupkes), USAA National Pro-Am Championship (defeating Ron Bath), etc.
Brzenk defeated winners from all weight classes, earning the top spot in almost every competition he competed in, and has a cameo appearance in the 1987 Sylvester Stallone film Over the Top.
John had perhaps the best cupping (wrist) strength of all time, as he could get his wrist bent on just about anybody.
Not just the wrist, Brzenk’s elbow bone, tendons, and ligaments are perhaps strongest too.
Such stresses during puberty (unlike later in life) have a major effect on adult physical development. In every situation, his technique and sports knowledge enabled him to use his strength.
The connective tissue of his elbow and forearm makes his hand back pressure and side pressure tremendous.
Even if he lost his wrist position, somehow, he might dead-wrist press a guy across the arm wrestling table. His static strength makes it impossible to open his wrist and to escape when his wrist is bent and his pronator is locked.
No Doubt these are the reasons John Brezenk is called the best arm wrestler in the world.

These elite legendary icons have shaped arm wrestling history through unforgettable rivalries, record-breaking achievements, and global influence.
Their enduring legacies inspire new generations of competitors and continue to elevate the sport of arm wrestling to new heights.