Besides the lengthy delay for the PPV stream that most watchers unfortunately faced, East vs. West 18 was certainly more electric than East vs. West 17.
East vs. West 18 was one of the best to date. If you missed the PPV stream you can catch the highlights of the match on YouTube once its uploaded (we’ll keep you updated). We saw 11 super-matches across every major armwrestling weight class between both genders — really incredible blend of competitors.
Source: East vs. West Armwrestling
Below, we’ll cover the main results, what went down, and everything you need to know about East vs. West 18.
The Results Of East Vs. West 18
East vs. West Armwrestling returned to the United States for the 3rd time since its inception. The showdown happened at the Ravinia Grand Ballroom, The Westin Chicago North Shore, Chicago, Illinois on June 21, 2025. As always, we had some of the highest ranked armwrestlers in the world show up to to the table.
| # | Match Type | Winner (Score) | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super-HW · R-hand (Bo7, World Title) | Levan Saginashvili 4–0 | Ermes Gasparini | Main event; clean sweep |
| 2 | Super-HW · L-hand (Bo5) | Devon Larratt 3–1 | Alex Kurdecha | Devon’s 265lbs bulk pays off |
| 3 | Super-HW · R-hand (Bo5) | Artyom Morozov 3–0 | Alex Kurdecha | Kurdecha pulled both arms tonight |
| 4 | Super-HW · R-hand (Bo5) | Michael Todd 3–1 | Georgii Dzeranov | Dzeranov’s raw power surprised crowd |
| 5 | Super-HW · L-hand (Bo5) | Pavlo Derbedyenyev 3–0 | Wagner Bortalato | Pavlo cracked Wagner’s Kings-move |
| 6 | Super-HW · R-hand (Bo5) | Riekerd Bornman 3–1 | Wallace Dilley | Bornman, just 21 yrs, breakout win |
| 7 | Light-HW 105 kg · L-hand (Bo5) | Matt Mask 3–2 | Irakli Zirakashvili | Wild crowd-pleaser; last-round slip-pin drama |
| 8 | Middleweight 95 kg · R-hand (Bo5) | Paul Linn 3–0 | Arsen Khachatryan | Linn dominant press each round |
| 9 | Middleweight 95 kg · R-hand (Bo5) | Ryan Belanger 3–2 | Allen Ford | Inside hook vs outside top-roll chess match |
| 10 | Featherweight 70 kg · R-hand (Bo5) | Joseph Meranto 3–0 | Ivan Portela | Biggest pre-match betting upset |
| 11 | Women LW 70 kg · R-hand (Bo7, World Title) | Fia Reisek 4–0 | Elin Janeheim | Title retention in four straight pins |
What Went Well At East Vs. West 18 Armwrestling Tournament
We had a phenomenal lineup of 11 super-matches across all the major armwrestling categories every fan wanted to see live. This was an exceptional lineup, tons of awesome (and classic) trash talk, and one of the best EvW tournmanets I’ve watched — definitely worth watching.
- Levan Saginashvili, the greatest armwrestler in his weight category, destroyed Ermes Gasparini 5-0. Ermes knew it was over after the first match.
- Devon Larratt, after a handful of injuries, looks very good and rejuvenated at roughly 260-270lbs — and yes, he showed up with his showmanship and trash talk. He expertly defeated Alex Kurdecha 3-1.
- Bornman and Meranto announced themselves as next-gen threats with 3-0/3-1 victories that showcased a ton of technical skill for up-and-comers in armwrestling.
- Alex Kurdecha really went after it — he fought two elite opponents in the same day (Artyom Morozov and Devon Larratt), which is an insane feat of strength and endurance.
- Artyom Morozov looked huge…The Terminator is definitely eating his wheaties.
What Went Wrong / Production & PPV Issues
There were a ton of unfortunate PPV issues for individuals who bought and streamed the event — not a good look for EvW Armwrestling. For many (myself included) the stream held a “Starting Soon” message for 40-75 minutes after the event already started. To make things even worse for online armwrestling fans, around match 8-ish, the feed dropped to black and it was very difficult for many to get the feed back (lukcily this didn’t happen to me).
Again, East vs. West Armwrestling had some issues getting up the replay. We’re still waiting for the replay video to become available.
This was a really, really exciting East vs. West Tournament so it was a bummer the PPV didn’t pull through. This is the last piece of the puzzle EvW really needs to fix.
The East vs. West 18 Good vs Bad Ledger
| EvW 18 Factors | Highlights ✅ | Lowlights ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| Athletic quality | World-class parity; multiple 5-round thrillers | A few mismatches (Meranto, Morozov sweeps) |
| Main event | Levan’s GOAT-level domination still entertaining and Ermes’ face was classic | One-sided scoreboard; Ermes fans deflated |
| Broadcast | 4K cameras & dual-language commentary when it worked | Start delay, audio fails, mid-event blackout |
| Fan engagement | Larratt’s trash talk, Mask’s “Wild Horse” antics, live crowd energy | Reddit & Twitter flooded with refund posts — people were not happy about the blackouts and I can’t blame them. |
| Event logistics | Full card delivered despite two late cancellations | Replay not posted promptly; a lot of us are still waiting… |
Looking Ahead: What Needs To Be Done Better
East vs. West 16 fell a bit flat. East vs. West 17 was a little better. In terms of athleticism and performances, East vs. West 18 was one of the best I’ve ever seen. It’s really disappointing the team at EvW couldn’t get their operations in check to get the livestream of the tournament working for fans around the world.
If EvW 19 has the same level of competition with better livestreaming for fans — armwrestling will be back and better than ever.