Levan Saginashvili Profile — Career, Life, Height, Weight, & More

Levan Saginashvili is one of the few people who have held the status of being the undisputed World Champion of arm wrestling, being one of the most dominant athletes to ever compete. He earned it with his tremendous power and victories against some huge figures of the sport. So, in this article, we covered Levan’s stats, life, career, and more.

Full Name: Levan Saginashvili
Weight	Height	Age
397 lbs (180 kg)	6’3” (191 cm)	36 years
Date of Birth	Era	Nationality
September 15th, 1988	2010s/ 2020s	Georgian

Early Life

Levan Saginashvili originates from Georgia, which is known for producing quite a few notable athletes in strength and power related sports. He also went to school there, but recognized from a young age that it would not be his biggest passion. Levan, however, loved certain subjects like geography but did not enjoy the Russian class as much.

According to his LinkedIn, Levan Saginashvili ended up getting a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at the Georgian National University SEU. However, despite working for multiple employers during his younger years, Levan is now a full-time arm wrestling athlete.

When it comes to sports, Levan Saginashvili’s first love was football / soccer. He trained for the sport and played well in the defensive role. However, undisclosed problems with his health forced him to stop.

At 15-years-old, Levan Saginashvili had a growth spurt, and continued developing in the next few years. However, he first started training for arm wrestling at 19-years-old and weighed just 80 kilograms (176.4 pounds) at that point.

Levan Saginashvili’s potential was recognized by a man in the gym who would later become his coach. He thought that Levan’s arm and palms were perfect for arm wrestling and encouraged him to pursue it. So, he started training, and everything fell into place a few years later, when he finished up with his military duty.

Interestingly, the first time that Levan saw a real arm wrestling table was during his first competition. So, up until that point, he trained on a normal table.

Related: Devon Larratt — Career, Early Life, Diet, Training, and More

Levan Saginashvili’s Career

The Beginnings

At the start of his career, Levan Saginashvili weighed around 100 – 105 kilograms (220.5 – 231.5 pounds). So, he got a lot bigger compared to when he started training and realized that it was time for him to start competing. His first competition came at the 2012 Georgian National Armwrestling Championship, where he placed second in both the right-handed and left-handed divisions. He also managed to impress everyone with his win against Genadi Kvikinia, who was one of the best arm wrestlers at the time.

Levan Saginashvili returned to the National Championships a year later, in 2013, once again finishing 2nd in the right-handed division, but falling down to third in the left handed division. In 2013, he also made his debut at the WAF World Armwrestling Championships, but failed to get into the top three in either division.

2013 was special for Levan Saginashvili because he managed to win the World Police and Fire Games arm-wrestling gold medal in Belfast. In turn, he was awarded the merit of first degree by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. He also got some money, which he invested back into himself in order to dedicate more focus to training.

The Breakthrough

2014 was the year of Levan Saginashvili’s breakthrough, as he put on some more muscle and won both divisions at the National Championships. Weighing approximately 120 kilograms (264.6 pounds) at the time, Levan crushed all of his Georgian opponents.

However, Levan Saginashvili then appeared at the 2014 Euroarm, where he finished second in the right-handed division, but also sixth in the left-handed division. This moment was the first indicator of the fact that right-handed arm wrestling would be his main focus in later years.

Interestingly, when Levan Saginashvili started training, his coach told him that he would need five years to become the World Champion. Well, that is exactly what happened, as Levan won the 2014 WAF World Armwrestling Championships in both divisions, becoming the World Champion for the first time in his career.

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Staying at the Top

Having become a World Champion, Levan Saginashvili became the target of every other professional arm wrestler in the world. So, in order to remain at the top of the leaderboards, Levan continued putting up muscle, even getting up to 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds) in bodyweight and retaining a lean physique. In fact, he got so humongous that his parents were frightened by his build.

So, with the increase in size, Levan Saginashvili hoped to remain at the top. However, at the 2015 World Championships, he lost the right-handed title. Fortunately, he remained at the World Championships when it came to his left hand.

The same outcome took place at the 2016 and 2017 World Championships, where Levan failed to reclaim his right-handed title, but also successfully defended his left-handed title.

However, in late 2017, Levan Saginashvili competed at the Zloty Tur tournament, where his right arm looked stronger than ever. Ever since then, Levan has won all the matches in which he took part, crushing all of his opponents.

So, in 2018, Levan Saginashvili dominated both the World and European Championships. Moreover, since 2018, Levan has decided to compete with only his right arm.

Supermatches

Levan Saginashvili took part in multiple supermatches over the past few years against a few humongous names in the sport of arm wrestling. In the first few, Levan beat the likes of Dmitry Trubin, Tim Bresnan, Kydyrgaly Ongarbaev, Vitaly Laletin, and Dave Chaffee. However, Levan’s most notable matches happened after that.

Levan Saginashvili vs. Devon Larratt [2022]

Levan Saginashvili took on Devon Larratt at the 2022 King Of The Table 4 in one of the biggest match-ups in the history of the sport. His Canadian opponent was one of the most famous arm wrestlers in the world. So, their duel garnered a lot of attention. However, Levan shocked everyone by easily crushing Devon and winning the match with a result of 6-0.

Levan Saginashvili vs. Ermes Gasparini

Levan Saginashvili’s battle against Ermes Gasparini was another match-up that turned to be a historic one, as it was truly a battle between two giants of modern arm wrestling. Although Ermes did put up a fight, Levan managed to get a 4-0 lead in the match, which secured him the title. He then forfeited the last two rounds as a precautionary measure in regard to injuries. So, although he did technically lose two rounds, Ermes did not manage to pin Levan.

Levan Saginashvili vs. Devon Larratt 2 [2024]

Levan Saginashvili had a rematch against Devon Larratt in 2024, which proved to be even more epic than their first battle. However, the outcome was not any different, as Levan managed to win all the rounds once again. In the end, Devon admitted defeat and stated that Levan was the most powerful arm wrestler that he ever came up against.

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Training & Diet

Training

When it comes to training, Levan Saginashvili does very specific exercises, such as biceps, wrist, and pronator curls. He has lifted some mind blowing weights on these exercises, including a 140-kilogram (308.6-pound) bicep curl for three reps.

On the other hand, when it comes to standard exercises, Levan Saginashvili recognizes that they often don’t have a beneficial impact on arm wrestling. Instead, he felt like some exercises, i.e., the deadlift, put a huge toll on his wrists.

However, one typical exercise that Levan Saginashvili loves is the bench press. It is more because of his mental state, because he uses the bench press to evaluate his overall strength during prep. So, Levan has previously bench pressed 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds).

Diet

Although he did make an appearance in a cooking show once, Levan Saginashvili does not consider himself a good cook. Instead, he often eats meals prepared by his mother and enjoys his country’s cuisine. As per Levan, he also does not eat too much – approximately three times a day. However, despite attempting to lose some weight in the past, he often just keeps getting bigger. Apart from his meals, Levan Saginashvili has admitted to using certain sarms.

Levan Saginashvili’s life has been filled with adventures outside of sport as well, having been featured in multiple movies, including “Extraction 2”. It is another one of his passions, but arm wrestling still remains his profession. It is clear, judging by the statements of anyone who went up against him, that Levan Saginashvili is the best arm wrestler to ever compete. So, it remains to be seen just how long he manages to remain at the top.

Read also: Devon Larratt & Levan Saginashvili Recap Their Performances After a Historic 2024 Armwrestling Match

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