Levan Saginashvili may not be a name a lot of arm wrestling fans around the world have heard of often times compared to the leading faces in the sport, but the professional arm wrestler from Georgia is one of the most formidable when it comes to the table.
The towering 6 feet 3 inch, 170 kg weighing Levan is nicknamed the “Georgian Hulk”, fitting for his stature and the attitude he brings to the table. The 32-year-old has an inhuman arm size, with a wrist size over 13 inches that makes the wrists of other arm wrestlers look like kids.
Being one of the top pullers in the European arm wrestling circuit, Levan is a seven times World Arm wrestling champion (WAF), six times European arm wrestling champion, the 2017 World Cup champion as well as the Top 8 2019 winner. Levan stays in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia and is under contract with Professional Armwrestling League (PAL).
Height, weight, arm size, nickname
Height: 6 feet 3 inches/191 cm
Weight: 370 lbs/170 kg
Forearm: 19.5 inch/49.5 cm
Biceps: 22.8 inch/58 cm
Nickname: The Georgian Hulk
Career of Levan Saginashvili
Levan made his professional arm wrestling debut back in 2012 at the Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship, where he finished in second place with his right hand in the Senior Men from 100kg weight class.
In 2013, he won the World Police and Fire Games Gold medal in arm-wrestling in Belfast, Northern Ireland and in the same year, was also bestowed with the merit of the first degree by The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
The next year, Levan won the Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship with both arms in the 100kg category and repeated the same result at the 36th World Armwrestling Championships 2014 (WAF) which was hosted in Vilnius, Lithuania. In his first WAF tournament, Levan triumphed in the 100kg weight class with both his left and right arms.
Levan has completely dominated his opponents on the table, especially in his most recent matches. In 2018, he defeated Dmitry Trubin 6-0 at the Vendetta All Stars #50 in Rumia, Poland.
At the TOP 8 VENDETTA 2019 event in Kuching, Malaysia, Levan outperformed Tim “Big Dog” Bresnan 6-0, and repeated the same scorecard against Kydyrgaly Ongarbaev of Kazakhstan at the TOP 8 VENDETTA 2 in 2019 that took place in Shenzhen, China.
Levan once again clinched a clean 6-0 victory at the 19th INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT “ZLOTY TUR CUP” & FINAL VENDETTA TOP 8 in Rumia, defeating his rival, Russian arm wrestler Vitaly Laletin.
Memorable fight
Courtesy of his taw, sheer pulling strength, Levan outright overpowers his opponents on the table. However, his match against Vitaly Laletin at the FINAL VENDETTA TOP 8 in 2019 remains one memorable occasion for the Georgian.
Other than the already heated atmosphere to see the two winners of the Top 8 locking horns against each other, the fight saw both pullers screaming Georgian greetings at each other on the table.
Levan swept up all six of the rounds with remarkable display of the Top Roll technique, as Laletin became no match for the Georgian’s brute strength.
Arm wrestling record and titles
2014 – Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship – 1st Place, Senior Men from 100kg – Left Hand
2014 – Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship – 1st Place, Senior Men from 100kg – Right Hand
2014 – 36th World Armwrestling Championships 2014 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2014 – 36th World Armwrestling Championships 2014 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Right Hand
2015 – 37th World Armwrestling Championships (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2016 – EUROARM 2016: 26th European Armwrestling Championships – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2016 – 38th World Armwrestling Championships 2016 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2017 – EUROARM 2017, 27th European Armwrestling Championships – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2017 – EUROARM 2017, 27th European Armwrestling Championships – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Right Hand
2017 – 39th World Armwrestling Championships 2017 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2017 – XIV PROFESSIONAL ARMWRESTLING WORLD CUP, 17th ZLOTY TUR 2017 – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2017 – XIV PROFESSIONAL ARMWRESTLING WORLD CUP, 17th ZLOTY TUR 2017 – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Right Hand
2018 – EUROARM 2018, 28th European Armwrestling Championships – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2018 – EUROARM 2018, 28th European Armwrestling Championships – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Right Hand
2018 – 40th World Armwrestling Championships 2018 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Left Hand
2018 – 40th World Armwrestling Championships 2018 (WAF) – 1st Place, Senior Men from 110kg – Right Hand
2018 – Vendetta All Stars #50 – 1st Place, From 105kg – Right Hand
2019 – TOP 8 VENDETTA – 1st Place, From 105kg – Right Hand
2019 – TOP 8 VENDETTA 2 – 1st Place, From 105kg – Right Hand
2019 – 19th INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT “ZLOTY TUR CUP” & FINAL VENDETTA TOP 8 – 1st Place, From 105kg – Right Hand
[courtesy: xsportnews.com]
Signature technique: Top Roll
Thanks to his monstrous 13+ inch wrist, Levan utilises the Top Roll to gain absolute control over the arm of his opposition puller.
Next fight
Dedicated fans who are well known about what Levan has accomplished in the sport, have been waiting with bated breath to see him pulling the top arm wrestlers across the globe. Although Levan has been seen in training against Michael Todd and Larry Wheels in recent times, the fight that would send the arm wrestling community crazy would be if Levan faces Devon Larratt.
Currently, its undoubtedly Devon “No Limits” Larratt who sits at the throne of the sport. The Canadian veteran puller recently avenged his defeat against Todd in Dubai, and with green light from PAL, a match between Devon and Levan would, without doubt, be touted as the biggest match in the history of the sport.
