Denis Cyplenkov

Denis Ivanovich Cyplenkov is a Russian professional armwrestler, former strongman and strength athlete who became one of the most dominant super heavyweight competitors of his generation. Born on March 10, 1982, in Kryvyi Rih in the former Soviet Union, Cyplenkov became internationally known for his extraordinary physical strength, unusually large hands and exceptional power in both arms. Unlike many elite European armwrestlers of his era, Cyplenkov did not build his reputation primarily through repeated WAF and European Championship appearances. Instead, he focused heavily on the professional circuit, particularly the Zloty Tur and Nemiroff World Cup, A1 Russian Open, PAL and Armfight events. During the late 2000s and 2010s, he became one of the most successful competitors in the strongest professional open-weight tournaments in the world. Cyplenkov was particularly dominant at the Nemiroff World Cup. Between 2010 and 2013, he repeatedly won the Super Heavyweight divisions with both arms and accumulated multiple Absolute titles. He also achieved major success at the A1 Russian Open, winning several Absolute championships against fields containing many of the strongest armwrestlers of the era. At his peak, Cyplenkov was considered one of the very strongest right-arm competitors in the world and arguably the dominant left-arm super heavyweight of his generation. In 2013, after Devon Larratt became inactive following elbow surgery, Cyplenkov assumed the world's No. 1 right-arm ranking. He held that position until Andrey Pushkar defeated him in the 2014 A1 Russian Open Absolute final. Cyplenkov also achieved several major supermatch victories. He defeated Andrey Pushkar, Michael Todd and Devon Larratt during his prime years. His 6–0 victory over Larratt in a left-arm supermatch at Armfight 50 in 2018 became one of the most memorable performances of his career and reinforced his reputation as one of the greatest left-arm pullers ever. In 2019, serious health problems forced Cyplenkov away from professional competition for several years. After a lengthy recovery, he returned in 2023 and defeated legendary armwrestler John Brzenk 6–0 at King of the Table 6. Later that year, he challenged Devon Larratt for the East vs West Right-Arm Super Heavyweight World Championship but was defeated. Technically, Cyplenkov is best known for overwhelming raw strength, exceptional wrist flexion, cupping, side pressure and immense back pressure. His unusually thick fingers, large hand and powerful wrist made it extremely difficult for opponents to establish hand control. Although highly successful with both arms, his left arm in particular is widely considered one of the strongest in armwrestling history. Cyplenkov remains one of the defining super heavyweights of the modern professional era and one of the most physically distinctive athletes the sport has produced.