DENIS CYPLENKOV GOT REVENGE..

Trying to find a clip of Denis Saplinkov showing emotion while arm wrestling is nearly impossible. Denis is known for his ridiculous power on the table, accompanied by total absence of expression. He just sits there and stares at his own hand, and looks like he's contemplating his next meal. Although some may not consider this to be as entertaining as someone who is known for their trash talk, in one way, Denis' silence is the best trash talk imaginable. He is saying everything that he needs to, without saying anything. However, there is one matchup where Denis did actually begin to show some emotion. One match where you could see the rage in Denis' eyes that had been gradually built up over time, and finally released on the table. This video will tell the story of the revenge of Denis Saplinkov. But first, we need to introduce the antagonist of this story. If you've never heard of Arsen Liliev, he's basically the fastest arm wrestler in history. He is known for his insane explosivity on the table. Although he was pretty small for a super heavyweight, he did not allow his size to hold him back. His go-to weapon was a high knuckle posting top roll, which led to a flash pin 99% of the time. Even someone like Travis Bajent, who was known for being super fast, looked slow against Arsen Liliev. John Brzenk also had a very hard time dealing with Arsen's speed. John was able to catch Arsen, but by the time he put the brakes on, he was so out of position that it was nearly impossible for him to get back into the match. Arsen's full blown commitment to the hit was like no one else in arm wrestling history. I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to attempt to catch the literal cannonball that is Arsen Liliev's top roll. It would be like trying to jump in front of a formula car and stop it before it ran you over. Now in 2012, the Russian Open was coming up, in which both Arsen and Denis Saplenkov were scheduled to be a part of. Of course, Denis was the heavy favorite to win this tournament, but Arsen manages to claw his way into the finals of this tournament and goes up against Denis. Man, Denis is gonna kill this guy. I mean just look at him, he's like half his size. Oh. Arsen Liliev shocks the world and flash pins Denis Saplenkov for the win. But this was probably just a fluke. In the second round, we see a much more expected result. Now in straps, Denis has access to his power. Arsen is still in a pretty good position, but we can see that inside the straps, Denis's elbow flexion has found connection to Arsen's wrist. Eventually, we see both guys in a pretty awkward position, and Denis, being the generally stronger human being, does better once all fundamentals are lost and is able to flop press for the win. Man, that was a bit of a scare for Denis. Good thing that was just a fluke. Huh. This moment is such a great example of how annoying Arsen's speed is to deal with. It looks like Denis lost the match before he even realized that it started. Denis knew what was coming, but he still could not avoid it. Once again, inside of straps in round 4, Denis looks much better. He gains the connection to power that he needs. It's not only that Denis is gaining power, but also that he's taking power away from Arsen. Both guys end up in a very awkward position once again, with their wrists cracked back, and this takes a bigger toll on Arsen. Eventually, we see Denis win the battle of rotation and is able to pin Arsen and take the win. The score is now 2-2. In the final round, Arsen goes for the flash pin once again, but Denis manages to slip. Inside of straps, we see the closest war we've seen throughout the entire match. The battle of who is holding onto who is so close right now. If Denis manages to gain just a bit more connection to Arsen's wrist, it's all over. But Arsen is barely managing to hold onto the high ground. Denis attempts to wedge in for the flop press, but he can't get Arsen far enough outside his shoulder. Arsen makes micro-adjustments, climbing just a bit higher than he was, and from this position, he is able to rotate Denis's palm up and get the pin. Arsen has just defeated Denis Saplenkov in a best of 5 armwrestling match. This officially proves that Arsen is stronger than Denis Saplenkov, right? Well, not exactly. What a lot of people don't realize about the 2012 Russian Open is that it was almost set up like an Armwrestle style battleground. This means that there were essentially multiple supermatches that took place in this tournament. And guess who Denis Saplenkov had to armwrestle right before he pulled Arsen? None other than Andrei Pushkar. This match between Denis and Andrei is one of the most famous matches in history with over 10 million views at the time of this video. This fight is an absolute grinder and clearly took so much out of both armwrestlers. Denis just barely manages to defeat Andrei in the best of 5 match, but it drained a huge amount of his power. Denis's wrist and his arm were totally blown out by the time he finished this match. And on the other side of the bracket, guess who Arsen Liliyev had to pull? Not Andrei Pushkar. Now Denis isn't the kind of guy that's gonna make a bunch of excuses. If he feels he's been slighted, he will simply come back even stronger and vindicate his reputation on the table. And one year later, Denis got his opportunity to do exactly this. He had another match with Arsen Liliyev. This time around, Denis will leave everyone with no question. No potential for the smallest amount of speculation. He will ensure that everyone knows he's the best. The first ready go happens, and just as Denis planned, we see utter dominance. Denis is so strong, he doesn't even need to use technique. He catches Arsen and pins him out of straps as if he's a child. Notice the expression on Denis's face as he pins Arsen. Although it is still minimal, it is very clear to see the vengeance in his eyes as he is finally able to show everyone in the world that Arsen Liliyev is not on his level. In round 2, we see the exact same thing. Arsen hits outside, Denis calmly catches the hit, and gently moves toward the pin pad. Notice again the expression we see on Denis's face. It is still minimal, but Denis sits there and holds Arsen on the pad just for a brief moment. Denis is showing everyone how easy this is for him by how animated his movements are. Denis is making a statement. And in the third round, Arsen does manage to slip and gets to the straps, but this turns out to do nothing for him. For the third time in a row, Denis catches Arsen's hit and gently rolls him into the pin pad, again holding Arsen down on the pad for a second or two. If there was any doubt as to the relationship between Denis Saplinkov and Arsen Liliyev, it has now been cleared up. Throughout this match, Denis never needed to make an adjustment. He never needed a secondary surge in order to pin. Denis has established himself as the senior puller, and Arsen is back to chasing his shadow. I think a lot of people might not think too much of this match if they didn't know the full backstory. But if you know the full backstory, there are not very many moments in armwrestling history that are scarier than the death stare we see here from Denis. And what a cool way to get revenge in a matchup. Denis could have complained about the previous match. He could have said that his seating was unlucky, or that he made mistakes in his match with Arsen, and these things would not have been untrue. But Denis does not do this. Instead, he reclaims his spot where the whole world can see it. He does this in a fashion that no one can dispute. Letting your performance on the table do the talking instead of trash talking is a concept that is embraced by multiple pullers in the sport. However, I can't think of anyone who has taken that concept as far as Denis Saplinkov. Denis almost never says anything that would be considered disrespectful. Yet somehow, this emotionless stare communicates more information than all the trash talk in the world.