Devon Larratt
Devon Larratt is a Canadian professional arm wrestler and retired Canadian Armed Forces soldier who held the right-hand and left-hand heavyweight world titles at the same time, is widely considered one of the best arm wrestlers of all time, and helped popularize the sport on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry.
Contents16 sections
Key facts
1999First International Competition
He made his international debut at the 1999 WAF Worlds, where he immediately met John Brzenk, regarded as the father of modern arm wrestling, and lost; in 2002 he won the Niagara Championships and began to gain recognition.[1]
2008–2010Holds Both Right- and Left-Hand World Titles
He began competing professionally at 18 while serving full-time in the Canadian Armed Forces; he became heavyweight right-hand world champion in 2008 and heavyweight left-hand world champion in 2010, the first person in modern history to hold both titles at once.[2]
2009Launches a YouTube Channel
He started his YouTube channel in 2009 to draw more people into the sport; by June 2022 it had 464,000 followers, almost four times its 2019 following.[2]
2013Switches Hands After Elbow Surgery
He said he was taught to arm wrestle by his grandmother; after elbow surgery in 2013 he was told he would never again be world champion, so he changed his approach and switched hands, later returning to the top.[3]
September 2015Arm-Wrestling Win Over Hafthór Björnsson
In September 2015 he arm-wrestled Icelandic strongman Hafthór Björnsson, who plays “The Mountain” on Game of Thrones and stood 6 feet 9 and 419 pounds; Larratt, at 6 feet 5 and 225 pounds, clearly won.[4]
He was then the WAL heavyweight champion and casually pinned Björnsson with both his left and right hands.[5]
2018Loss to Cyplenkov at Armfight #50
The official Armfight #50 results record Cyplenkov’s 6–0 left-hand win in their 2018 match; Larratt later beat Cyplenkov 5–0 in a right-hand match at East vs West 10.[6]
September 2021Boxing Loss to Hafthór Björnsson
In September 2021, after Eddie Hall withdrew from a planned bout with Björnsson because of a bicep injury, Larratt stepped in to box him in Dubai, admitting he was a terrible boxer; he lost by TKO in the first round.[7]
He landed a couple of hooks, but Björnsson rocked him repeatedly, and the referee stopped the contest with 15 seconds left.[8]
February 16, 2022Appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast
He appeared on episode 265 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, whose description calls him a professional arm wrestler widely considered one of the best of all time; topics included Over the Top and John Brzenk, strength versus skill and strategy, Denis Cyplenkov, the Canadian Special Forces, diet and his match with “The Mountain.”[9]
June 2022Loss to Levan Saginashvili at King of the Table 4
Entering King of the Table 4 on a ten-match winning streak dating to 2018, he faced Georgia’s Levan Saginashvili in a match lasting more than an hour and a half and lost 6–0 without winning a round, passing the Legacy Hammer to his opponent; afterward he praised Saginashvili as being on a “Different level.”[10]
December 2023Speaks to Troops at CFB Shilo
He served more than 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, starting as a reservist, serving with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry including a tour in Bosnia, transferring to the Royal Canadian Regiment, and finishing his career with the special forces unit Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) at Dwyer Hill.[3]
In December 2023 he spoke to soldiers and civilian staff at CFB Shilo on fitness, resilience, spirituality and luck, saying that the fitter soldiers are, the more armour they have “before the real bullets hit you.”[11]
April 2024Second Loss to Saginashvili at East vs West 12
After beating Georgi Tsvetkov in December 2023, he challenged Saginashvili for the super heavyweight world title at East vs West 12 and lost all four rounds.[12]
March 2025Visit by Magnus Midtbø
In March 2025 Magnus Midtbø released a training video filmed at Larratt’s home in Ottawa; asked about his time in the forces, Larratt said: “War is a messy, messy thing. Not to be glorified.”[13]
April 2026Beats Vitaly Laletin at East vs West 23
After an earlier left-hand loss to Vitaly Laletin, he won their right-hand rematch at East vs West 23 in April 2026 4–1, dropping the first round and taking the next four.[14]
As of October 2026: Still Competing at the Top Level
Since the end of 2021 he has pulled 21 matches at East vs West and King of the Table and won 16; his most recent was a 4–3 loss to Ibragim Sagov at East vs West 27 in Budapest on October 24, 2026.[1]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Personal website: Public link: https://nolimitsarmwrestling.com/ (opens in a new window)[15]
YouTube: Public channel: https://youtube.com/devlarratt (opens in a new window)[9]
Sources
- Devon Larratt — Career, Early Life, Diet, Training, and More – Fitness Volt (opens in a new window)
- Devon Larratt and the dramatic rise of arm wrestling YouTube (opens in a new window)
- World Champ Devon Larratt arms Shilo soldiers with techniques to wrestle resiliency and mindset in combat | Shilo Stag News (opens in a new window)
- The Mountain from Game of Thrones lost to this guy in arm wrestling (opens in a new window)
- The Mountain From 'Game Of Thrones' Destroyed In Arm Wrestling Match By Devon Larratt - CBS Detroit (opens in a new window)
- Denis Cyplenkov: Career, Key Matches, and Armwrestling Legacy (opens in a new window)
- Hafthor Bjornsson Defeats Devon Larratt By Technical Knockout (opens in a new window)
- Hafthor Bjornsson vs. Devon Larratt: Full card results (opens in a new window)
- #265 - Devon Larratt: Arm Wrestling | Lex Fridman Podcast (opens in a new window)
- Levan Saginashvili Sweeps Devon Larratt With a 6-0 Victory In An Arm Wrestling Match – Fitness Volt (opens in a new window)
- Part 2: World arm wrestling champ Devon Larratt tells CFB Shilo troops fear will speak and spirituality will be tested | Shilo Stag News (opens in a new window)
- 2024 Devon Larratt vs. Levan Saginashvili: Arm Wrestling Rematch Results – Fitness Volt (opens in a new window)
- Magnus Midtbø and Champion Canadian Arm Wrestler Devon Larratt - Gripped Magazine (opens in a new window)
- Devon Larratt Crushes Vitaly Laletin In Right-Hand Arm Wrestling Match at East vs West 23 – Fitness Volt (opens in a new window)
- No Limits Armwrestling – OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF DEVON LARRATT (opens in a new window)