John Brzenk Sr is John’s father and an arm wrestler. John started his amateur career in the classroom, where he arm-wrestled students across tables for five years. When he was in eighth grade, he broke his arm while arm wrestling a friend. He mentioned that this breakage made his tendon stronger than it had already been. Over the course of the past few years, Brzenk has often been called “The Giant Crusher,” “Superman,” or the “Perfect Storm” because of his ability to pin opponents twice his size.
John Brzenk, one of the most successful sports world champions in history, started his professional career as a teenager. Brzenk has only lost one super match, and only a few people have ever beaten him in tournaments. Most of these losses occurred later in his career when he was older. Two of his most prominent losses were to Devon Larratt and Alexey Voyevoda, both of whom are considered legendary arm wrestlers. Besides being an arm wrestler, Brzenk works as a mechanic for Delta Air Lines. On top of that, he says the job is not physically demanding so his arms get lots of rest during the day. He has won upwards of $80 thousand in competitions during his 17-year career.
Brzenk has won championships in many different weight classes, including four times as a heavyweight world champion. He also appeared uncredited in the 1987 Sylvester Stallone film “Over the Top”. In addition, he was the subject of a documentary titled “Pulling John”, which follows Brzenk during the 4-year period that he competed in world tournaments.
On February 10th, 2022, John Brzenk was 56, and he took back the world’s number one ranking at 225 pounds in mixed martial arts for seven years after retiring seven years prior.
- Height: 6’1″
- Weight: Varies between 195 and 225 lbs, depending on competition classes.
- Style: Varies
- Biceps: 18.25in
