Friday, June 19, 2009

By Isaac Kuhlman

  The TapouT Research and Development Center hosted a grand-opening celebration for the Las Vegas community with a bang today. The day was filled with fighters, skill exhibitions, celebrities, and media coverage all to be topped off by a very exciting and explosive finish to the night as the Professional Arm Wrestling League made its U.S. Debut in the evening.

  The event was headlined by John "The Living Legend" Brzenk, who is the current #1 ranked arm wrestler in the +95 kg division (as ranked by armpower.net), against Denis Cyplenkov (#2). It was a rematch of last November's showdown when Brzenk defeated Cyplenkov by a score of 6-0 at the Nemiroff World Cup. Cyplenkov is a little newer to the sport than most of his peers (especially Brzenk who is 45 and has been competing for about 30 years). Michael Todd (United States) took on Ion Oncescu (Romania) in the undercard.

  Brzenk is exactly what his nickname suggests. He has made the sport of arm wrestling a true circuit sport. Brzenk's life in armwrestling is known across the world and in the sport especially. With his successes, the sport became an online and international sensation of a wide network of fans and sponsors. Even fellow competitor, Michael Todd, noted, "We're all fans of John."

  In this event (dubbed "Armfight Vendetta"), Brzenk took on Cyplenkov in front of a crowd of fans that were not far from his hometown of Sandy, UT. With the support of the audience and a superior technique, Brzenk defeated Cyplenkov again by a score of 5-1. Cyplenkov is a massive human being weighing 308 pounds and having biceps that measure 24". Brzenk is about 215 pounds and his bicep is 16". The comparison has been made between Cyplenkov and Lou Ferrigno of his Incredible Hulk days. 

  Brzenk was awarded the "Armfighter of the Year" for 2008 after the event. Brzenk said that he won't be competing in this year's World Championships, because his age doesn't allow him to "pull" as many times a year as he used to. "My arm's pretty trashed right now," said Brzenk after his grueling battle with Cyplenkov.

  In fact, the visible fatigue was evident when Brzenk basically laid his hand down in the final match of the competition for Cyplenkov's only victorious round of the night.

  The matches are much like that of boxing (complete with ring girls). There are 6 rounds with a 2-minute break after each. The competitors have to win the best of 6, and in the event of a tie, there is a call for a rematch. No rematches were necessary tonight.

  "Monster" Michael Todd bested the Romanian, Oncescu, by a score of 6-0 in their match. Todd pandered to the crowd by looking at them with a questioning face several times as if to say, "Should I start NOW?" without saying it. The ever-animated Todd, spoke after his match and was appreciative of the opportunity to be able to compete in the United States as the sport is much more popular abroad.

(photo provided by TapouT R&D)