Published September 30, 2026

Devon Larratt spent nearly two minutes giving Michael Todd and Dave Chaffee their due. Then the smile got sharper.

His new video starts as a fair preview of their 115 kg interim-title match at East vs West 27 in Budapest. It ends with Devon telling both men that the winner still has to answer to him.

The Praise Was Real

Devon calls Todd versus Chaffee meaningful for the athletes, the league, and whatever comes next. He sees it as a clear decision about the best American at 115 kg.

Todd arrives with momentum. He won the 105 kg title over Oleg Petrenko and now sits fourth in the official 115 kg rankings. Larratt points to his health, strength, and steady stream of personal records.

That praise has history. Michael Todd forced Devon to keep evolving because controlling Michael’s hand still left Devon with a difficult finish. Todd’s open defense punishes anyone who spends too much before the shoulder arrives.

Chaffee brings the opposite pressure. His first surge can take center before a match settles. Devon also credits Dave’s improved endurance and versatility. Chaffee held the 115 kg belt before Ivan Matyushenko took it from him 4-1.

Dave wants his cup connected early so his side pressure has somewhere useful to go. Michael needs to preserve his hand and make Dave pull through a longer round.

Devon Claims the Final Say

Around the two-minute mark, the preview turns into a warning. Devon tells East vs West to “give your head a shake,” calls himself the real champion, and promises to beat either man badly.

The official picture remains different. East vs West lists Matyushenko as the current right-arm 115 kg champion, with Chaffee second and Todd fourth. The Budapest match carries an interim title.

Devon’s argument is simple. He has beaten both men, recently returned to the 115 kg limit, and believes that belt has to pass through him before it feels settled.

He says he will demand the winner in Las Vegas. No such match has been announced. Todd and Chaffee are fighting for a real belt while Devon presents the winner as his next contender.

The Winner Gets the Harder Follow-Up

Larratt’s recent 115 kg win over Matyushenko came on the left arm. That result leaves Ivan’s right-arm title untouched. It also showed that Devon could make the weight and keep enough hand control to dominate an elite opponent.

Todd or Chaffee would present a different right-arm problem. Michael knows Devon’s open game and has forced him to solve it before. Dave can apply raw center pressure immediately, especially if his wrist stays closed through the start.

The post Devon Larratt Turns Todd vs Chaffee Into His 115 KG Warning appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 30, 2026

Auden Larratt wants Brian Shaw at the table and sounds ready to travel on almost no notice. The enthusiasm makes sense. Brian offers him huge attention and a chance to prove that clean arm-wrestling skill can cut through a massive strength advantage.

For Brian, the math feels rough.

The matchup remains talk. Nobody involved has presented a signed match. Still, Devon Larratt has already supplied the perfect bit of provocation by suggesting Brian fears his son. That line will travel. The better question is whether Brian gains enough from accepting.

Brian Still Owns the Physical Edge

Brian may deserve a slight edge if they pulled today. He remains one of the strongest men ever, and his hand can make a normal heavyweight look undersized before the ready-go. Auden would feel that difference immediately.

Brian’s loss to Leonidas Arkona also showed where the size advantage can leak away. Leonidas forced slips, found his connection in the strap, and pinned Brian three times. Brian’s two points came from fouls rather than completed pins.

Auden would chase the same broad problem. He needs Brian making technical decisions after the match leaves the clean grip. Strap connection and shoulder position can shrink a strength gap fast. Our earlier look at Brian’s hand-control problem explains why raw grip power only starts the conversation.

Brian’s best answer is direct. Win the hand early, then keep his frame connected through the finish before Auden can turn the round into table work.

Auden Carries the Easier Story

Auden has his own recent loss. Jeremy Parker beat him 3-1 at East vs West 24, which puts a useful brake on the idea that technique automatically handles size. Auden remains a developing puller. Brian remains a serious physical problem.

The timing still favors Auden. Every month of focused table work gives him more setup feel and more answers once a round gets awkward. Brian’s last official match left him with a different job. He has to convert enormous general strength into reliable positions under professional rules.

That is why Devon’s cautious assessment lands better than the fear jab. Brian could be favored now. The matchup can shift toward Auden if it sits around while Auden keeps improving.

The Stakes Lean One Way

If Brian wins, plenty of people will say a four-time World’s Strongest Man beat a younger and lighter opponent. If Auden wins, the result becomes one of the loudest crossover upsets the sport can offer.

Calling Brian scared skips the sporting logic. He has already taken the larger public risk once and received a painful lesson against Leonidas. A return match should give him a clear competitive reward, not just a famous surname across the table.

The post Brian Shaw Has More to Lose Against Auden Larratt appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 21, 2026

Matt Mask gets Serhii Kalinichenko again at East vs West 27. The right-arm rematch lands at 105 kg, and that number changes more than the scale.

Kalinichenko won their 2023 meeting 4-2. He took the first three rounds with heavy side pressure and enough arm to keep driving after Mask found some pronation. Yet the match grew less comfortable with every restart. Mask bent the wrist back, settled into the strap, and won two late rounds before Kalinichenko closed the night with another hard sideways attack.

That old result gives Kalinichenko the win. It also gives Mask a very clear place to start.

Mask Has to Finish Through the Hand

The interesting part of the first match came after Kalinichenko lost his wrist. Mask owned more of the hand by round four, but the pin still took work. Kalinichenko kept his arm connected and made every surge toward the pad expensive.

Mask can improve the position without solving the whole problem. His rise and pronation need to open Kalinichenko early, then his back pressure has to keep the shoulder from following. A loose finish gives Kalinichenko time to bring that side pressure back into the round or move toward a press.

Mask just showed better patience in his 4-0 win over Leonidas Arkona. He met open-arm resistance, kept his hand moving, and corrected a rushed finish on the next start. That version of Mask looks better prepared for the exact place where Kalinichenko frustrated him.

The Cut Favors Mask’s Late Rounds

Their first right-arm match belonged to the 115 kg range. The rematch asks Kalinichenko to bring the same arm strength down to 105.

That could sharpen him if the cut goes cleanly. It could also make repeated side-pressure drives harder to sustain. Those attacks won the early rounds in 2023, then Mask began taking the hand once the pace had taken something out of Kalinichenko.

Mask has less distance to travel. He weighed 108.9 kg before East vs West 26, then pulled a much heavier Arkona anyway. The messy weigh-in before that match put Mask in an 11.9 kg hole. He still won every round.

At 105, he finally gets a limit that supports his natural game. Speed matters more when the other man gives away mass, and Mask should arrive with enough endurance to keep attacking the fingers after the first surge.

One Start Can Still Flip the Match

Kalinichenko remains dangerous because his best lane requires very little decoration. If he catches Mask near center and connects his shoulder, the wrist can bend while the arm keeps traveling. Mask felt that exact problem before.

The title talk around this match needs restraint. A future shot at Michael Todd’s current 105 kg game has been floated, but the rematch comes first. Kalinichenko owns the prior right-arm win and knows where Mask struggled.

The post Why 105 KG Changes Matt Mask’s Kalinichenko Rematch appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 15, 2026

Devon Larratt has named Ibragim Sagov as his next target. East vs West has yet to announce the match.

Larratt is coming off a 4-0 left-arm win over Ivan Matyushenko at East vs West 26. He made the 115 kg limit and took Ivan’s wrist apart before finishing with a press. The obvious next question was which belt or opponent he would chase.

Sagov points Devon back to the right arm. Alizhan Muratov offers a left-arm title fight. Both directions make sense, but they measure different things.

Sagov Has Earned the Call

Sagov sits third in the current East vs West right-arm heavyweight rankings. His recent results carry real weight. He swept Genadi Kvikvinia 4-0 at King of the Table 14, lost a title match to Dave Chaffee, then answered with a 3-0 win over Yordan Tsonev at East vs West 25.

That makes him a useful opponent for Devon. Sagov gets a chance to break into the very top of the 115 kg picture. Larratt gets an active contender who has already handled two experienced inside pullers.

The table problem for Sagov is ugly. He needs to move Devon before the strap becomes a place to rest and adjust. One hard drive can take center, yet Larratt routinely protects his pronation from the losing side. His ability to give away center while keeping control forces opponents to finish through a hand that keeps pulling back.

Sagov needs sustained connection after the first surge. Devon will want the match long enough to climb, regrip, and turn the second effort into the important one.

The Booking Still Needs East vs West

Larratt’s public target and Sagov’s own callout show mutual interest. They leave the actual terms open.

East vs West has published no official opponent announcement for Devon at East vs West 27 as of September 15. The arm, weight limit, date, and match format still need confirmation. A social post can start the matchmaking. The promotion has to finish it.

That distinction matters with Devon because his schedule can move in several directions at once. He can chase Sagov on the right, stay at 115 kg on the left, or shift toward another title. Each choice changes the preparation and the value of the win.

Alizhan Offers the Bigger Left-Arm Prize

Fan talk on the internet has leaned hard toward Alizhan. The appeal is easy to understand after Devon’s return to the 115 kg left-arm division.

Alizhan holds the East vs West left-arm title at 115 kg. He also carries the more dangerous hand fight. Even after Vitaly Laletin took away his hook at super heavyweight, Alizhan remains the champion in the division Devon just entered.

That matchup would test the fresh claim created by the Ivan win. Can Devon take the same wrist control into a fight with the division’s champion?

The post Devon Larratt Points to Ibragim Sagov While Fans Pick Alizhan appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 15, 2026

Two 4-0 losses at East vs West 26 exposed two different problems. Ivan Matyushenko lost his wrist against Devon Larratt. Leonidas Arkona found a stop against Matt Mask, then could not turn it into offense.

The useful part came after the matches. Both men treated the result as information. Matyushenko named the position he could not solve. Arkona took the loss back to Germany as training material.

That response carries more weight than an excuse or a vague promise to work harder. Each defeat left a precise assignment.

Matyushenko Named the Missing Lane

Matyushenko acknowledged that his usual hook and partial outside option failed against Larratt’s open-arm toproll. That is a sharp read. He wanted to apply side pressure from a hand that Devon had already opened.

The match showed how quickly those options disappeared. Larratt kept his pronation connected, pressured the fingers, and denied the cup Matyushenko needed to drag inside. More force through the same loose wrist would only deepen Devon’s control.

Ivan now needs a real second route. He can climb and recover height before committing sideways. He can also build a press that works through a bent wrist. Genadi Kvikvinia showed why that press can bother Larratt. It attacks the arm angle after the hand battle has gone badly.

Neither option comes from one clever drill. Climbing demands patience under strap pressure. A flop press asks for shoulder commitment and confidence near the pin line. Matyushenko left China knowing exactly where his reliable game ran out.

Arkona Has to Attack From the Stop

Arkona’s post-match response sounded less technical. He described the trip as valuable, said the work would continue, and promised revenge. The match still gave him a clean place to begin.

His open-arm defense caught Mask in the later rounds. For a few seconds, the raw shape worked. Yet Mask still finished both of those stops. Arkona held close to the pad without recovering his hand or pulling the match back toward center.

That makes his problem different from Ivan’s. Arkona found a brake. He still needs a gear out of it.

The next step lives in the setup and the first inch after contact. Arkona needs more height before his arm opens, then a transition that turns the catch into pressure on Mask’s hand. Sitting low and waiting only lets a seasoned toproller adjust the finish.

Mask did exactly that. He stayed attached, kept working through the hand, and cleaned up his timing on the restart. Arkona’s resistance made the round longer. It never made the position his.

Specific Work Makes the Loss Useful

Post-match humility gets praised easily in arm wrestling. The better measure comes later, when the same bad position appears under a referee’s grip.

Matyushenko needs proof that he can climb or press after losing his cup. Arkona needs to turn an open-arm catch into a route back toward center. Those are narrow jobs. Good. Narrow jobs can be trained and tested.

The post Ivan Matyushenko and Leonidas Arkona Found the Right EVW26 Lessons appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 13, 2026

Devon Larratt beat Ivan Matyushenko with his left arm, then aimed at a much larger target. He says he plans to pull every serious 115 kilogram contender with his left arm and his right until he has proved he belongs at the top on each side.

The sweep gives that claim some weight. It also creates a harder standard. A run through one hand would be ambitious enough. Calling for both means proving two different versions of Devon can survive the cut and keep winning.

That sounds like a good problem for the sport.

One Win Opened Two Schedules

The 4-0 win over Matyushenko began with wrist control. Ivan needed a closed cup before his drag and inside power could matter. Devon kept that connection loose, made him pull through his fingers, and gained more finishing options as the rounds passed.

The result matters beyond a clean score. Matyushenko carried a real left-arm threat at 115 kilograms. He had the arm power to make a careless setup expensive. Devon handled the danger and finished the match with enough control to try different lanes.

The Right Arm Has Unfinished Business

Before China, Devon had already targeted Matyushenko’s right-arm heavyweight title. The left-arm booking arrived first, which turned one opponent into a useful preview of a second question.

Ivan’s right hand remains a separate problem. His cup and inside commitment carry the same basic danger, but Devon would meet them with a more proven arm. That shifts the technical burden. Larratt would be expected to control the hand early, manage the strap, and avoid giving Ivan a clean shoulder line toward the hook.

A right-hand match would also test the weight cut over a longer stretch. Making 115 kilograms once and performing well answered the immediate concern. Repeating it while moving between both arms would tell us whether this is a real competitive home or a sharp visit.

Two Arms Require Two Cases

Devon has the range for this idea. He built his inside strength before his outside game took over, and that old hook still appears when he owns enough of the hand to enter safely. His mature right arm brings elite pronation and back pressure. The rebuilt left now has a major 115 kilogram result.

Each arm still needs its own ladder. Left-side evidence stays on the left. Right-side reputation buys attention, while current wins settle the order. That distinction will make the campaign worth following instead of turning it into a tour built around Devon’s name.

The best version of this run has regular matches and opponents with clear stakes. Exhibitions and vague cross-division talk would blur a strong idea. Devon asked for everybody. The promotions should make him work through a queue.

The post Devon Larratt Wants to Pull Every 115 KG Contender Left and Right appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 12, 2026

Devon Larratt swept Ivan Matyushenko 4-0 at East vs West 26. The score looks brutal. The way Devon reached it was worse for Ivan.

Matyushenko came to turn the left-arm match inside. Devon never gave him a wrist sturdy enough to build that attack. Once the hand belonged to Larratt, every later choice became his.

He could stay outside, test the hook, or bring his shoulder forward for the press. Ivan kept receiving different problems through the same damaged connection.

Ivan Never Secured His Cup

The first round held the most resistance. Devon worked the setup until he found a grip he trusted, then began taking position instead of chasing the pad.

That patience mattered. The pre-match danger lived in Matyushenko’s cup and inside drive. Ivan needed his wrist closed so his drag could pull Devon toward a hook. A loose hand left all that arm power waiting behind the problem.

Devon kept the pressure on Ivan’s fingers and made him carry the round from a weaker shape. The match grew easier after that opening exchange because Ivan had already shown where his connection would fail.

Round two ended on fouls, which makes the score line a little untidy. The technical read stayed clean. Devon left the round talking about Ivan’s wrist. He had found the part of the chain that kept giving way.

Variety Came After Control

Round three supplied the clearest picture of the gap. Devon moved from an outside lane toward the hook and tested a press transition. That range can look like showboating when the opponent has no answer. It also reveals who owns the grip.

A puller changes lanes safely only when the hand remains connected during the move. Devon could rotate his shoulder, alter his arm angle, and bring the match inside without handing Ivan the cup he wanted.

That part tracks with Larratt’s roots as an inside puller. His mature outside game can hide how comfortable he still feels when a match folds inward. Against Ivan, both versions showed up in the same round.

Matyushenko faced the opposite problem. He had power in the arm, yet every useful route demanded a better wrist first. More side pressure from the same open hand would only send effort into Devon’s control.

The Press Closed the Argument

Devon finished round four with a press. That choice mattered because Matyushenko had arrived as the inside threat. By the end, Larratt could bring his shoulder forward and finish through the lane Ivan needed for himself.

The sequence also fits Devon’s habit of giving ground while protecting the useful parts of his position. Center matters less when his pronation survives and the other man’s wrist keeps opening. Ivan spent more as the rounds passed while Devon gained simpler finishes.

The post Devon Larratt Took Ivan Matyushenko’s Wrist First at EVW 26 appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 12, 2026

Filip Larsson found useful hand position against Riekerd Bornman. The match still kept moving with Bornman’s drive.

That was the uncomfortable lesson at East vs West 26. Larsson threatened the wrist, yet Bornman stayed attached and kept pouring side pressure through the strap. The cleaner-looking position left the force attached.

Bornman won because his connection survived Larsson’s technical answer.

The Strap Kept Bornman Attached

Bornman’s first round carried the clearest version of the matchup. He stayed tight to his hand and sent pressure sideways from a compact shape in the strap.

Side pressure becomes expensive when the hand separates from the shoulder line. The arm takes the force alone while a good outside puller peels the wrist.

Bornman kept the chain short. His arm and shoulder moved together enough for the strap to support his attack. Larsson’s corrections still had to absorb pressure headed across the table.

Larsson’s Hand Control Needed a Finish

Larsson made the later rounds closer. He kept searching for hand position and gave Bornman more to solve after the easy-looking opener.

Bornman’s base remained intact.

Our look at Irakli taking Devon Larratt’s hand in an afterpull dealt with the same basic trap. A won wrist creates options. The pin still demands connection through the final inches.

Bornman kept pulling from his strongest base through Larsson’s pieces of control. His elbow stayed under the action, and his shoulder remained close. Larsson’s hand advantage then had to carry a side-pressure load beyond its useful angle.

That is why the relationship between wrist position and usable side pressure matters more than a pretty freeze-frame. The hand can lead the exchange while the body underneath it loses ground.

The Close Rounds Confirmed the Same Problem

Rounds two and three tightened up. Elbow fouls entered the second round, and Larsson made Bornman work longer than he had in the opener. The resistance increased while ownership stayed with Bornman.

Bornman stayed in control because the pressure kept arriving from a compact shape. He protected the route already winning the match and left the prettier hand position to Larsson.

That patience separated this result from a simple power wash. Bornman met a technical heavyweight who adjusted and still kept his own lane available. Recent East vs West results have repeatedly turned on denying one preferred lane. Bornman did something slightly meaner. He let Larsson reach his hand battle and made it insufficient.

The post Riekerd Bornman Beat Filip Larsson Through the Strap at EVW 26 appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 12, 2026

Oleg Cherkasov won the East vs West 26 lightweight title from a position that usually gets edited out of a winner’s highlight reel. His wrist was bent back, Artur Makarov had him stretched, and the strap looked far more useful to the man attacking outside.

Cherkasov stayed there anyway.

The reported 4-3 score ended on fouls after Makarov twice sent his elbow off the back of the pad while toprolling. That finish was the match. Cherkasov made Makarov’s best lane consume the table.

The Wrist Was Gone but the Drag Stayed

Round one belonged to Cherkasov inside. He reached the hook and appeared to control it cleanly. Makarov’s adjustment changed the fight. He attacked outside and opened Cherkasov’s wrist in the strap.

That was real hand control. It still needed a legal finish.

Cherkasov kept his elbow planted and pulled backward even with his palm exposed. The drag stopped Makarov from bringing the match neatly across the pin line. Every extra inch forced Makarov to keep chasing with his elbow already moving toward the rear edge.

Cherkasov protected the one base he could still use. His wrist looked beaten while his elbow kept giving him another second. Denis Cyplenkov’s patient work against Makarov in practice showed the same gap between movement and usable control.

Makarov Paid for Every Inch of Toproll

Makarov found the correct technical answer. The outside attack lengthened Cherkasov and weakened his wrist line. It also forced Makarov to decide how hard to keep pulling backward.

More back pressure opened Cherkasov further, but it also consumed pad. Backing off preserved elbow room while giving Cherkasov time to drag closer or rebuild some cup. The same problem appears whenever a puller keeps driving after the wrist opens. The hand advantage only matters while the elbow can support it.

Those two elbow fouls completed that trade. Makarov’s attack worked well enough to demand more table than he had available.

An elbow call removes a winning position and restores a setup. Our earlier look at a decisive referee dispute covered that practical cost. Pad management lives inside technique.

Cherkasov Won the Second-Best Position

The attractive version of adaptability involves switching lanes and taking over. Cherkasov’s version was rougher. He started with the better hook, lost the cleaner hand position later, and accepted a defensive shape that could still create pressure.

That takes table discipline. A bent wrist invites panic and a frantic attempt to recover everything. Cherkasov asked less from the position. Keep the elbow legal. Keep dragging. Make Makarov finish one more inch.

Makarov deserves credit for changing the match after round one. His toproll turned a one-sided inside picture into a seven-round argument. He could take Cherkasov’s wrist. He could not consistently bring that advantage to the pin pad without losing his elbow.

The post How Oleg Cherkasov Survived Artur Makarov’s Best Lane appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.

Published September 12, 2026

Matt Mask beat Leonidas Arkona 4-0 at EVW 26, but Arkona did manage to slow him down. Twice.

Those brief stops were the real test. Arkona dropped into a King’s Move in rounds three and four. Mask stayed calm and pinned him both times.

This was more than a speed win. Mask controlled the fast rounds, then proved he could finish when Arkona made him work near the pin pad.

Arkona Finally Got His Stop

Before the match, Arkona’s best chance looked simple. He had to stop Mask’s first hit before his wrist opened and his arm stretched out.

That chance arrived in round three. Arkona dropped low and made Mask work through his open arm. He bought himself some time, but Mask still had the better hand position. Arkona could slow the pin. He could not turn the match back toward center.

Mask even talked to him during the stop. That little detail says plenty. A puller under real pressure usually saves his breath and searches for an escape. Mask looked comfortable enough to recognize the position, keep working, and finish.

The 11.9 kg gap at the weigh-in made that finish more impressive. Arkona had the heavier body and the defensive position he wanted. Mask still kept enough control to drive him to the pad.

Mask Made One Good Correction

Round four gave Arkona a firmer stop. Mask rushed the first finish and let the match stick for a moment. That can happen when a fast puller sees the pad and starts pushing sideways before the hand is ready.

The restart showed how quickly Mask understood the mistake.

He went back to the same basic attack, but his timing was cleaner. Arkona had less time to sink into the King’s Move and stretch the round out. Mask hit, kept his hand moving, and put him down fast.

No fancy adjustment was required. Mask simply stopped forcing the finish and let his hand control lead the pin. That is good table sense. He felt where Arkona could hold and took that spot away on the next start.

Arkona deserves credit for making Mask adjust. The match still exposed the limit of his defense. His King’s Move worked as a brake, but it never gave him a route back into the round.

Michael Todd Would Be a Different Test

Mask joked that Arkona’s position reminded him of Michael Todd. The shape looked familiar, and the comparison made sense in the moment.

Todd brings far more experience to that position. His current game has grown beyond the old King’s Move label. He can attack the hand, transition into a press, and make small changes while the match is stopped.

A December match between Mask and Todd has been floated, but it remains matchmaking talk. This result gives Mask a useful piece of evidence rather than a guaranteed answer. He showed that he can stay patient against an open arm and finish once he owns the hand.

The post Matt Mask Had an Answer for Leonidas Arkona’s King’s Move at EVW 26 appeared first on Arm Wrestling Insider.