Armfighter updates U.S. rankings, Joseph Meranto tops right-hand list

Joseph Meranto took the top spot on Armfighter’s June 18 U.S. right-hand rankings, a snapshot that put the sport’s domestic pecking order on display just as a crowded summer calendar is about to squeeze the field. The update also showed Cody Wood and Roman Gromov right behind him, with the committee’s board signaling which names are being treated as the current center of gravity in American arm wrestling.

Armfighter says the rankings are built from the collective submissions of its rankings committee, and that athletes must actively compete and reside in the United States, be listed at their most competitive weight class regardless of country of origin, and are assumed to be performing under IFA regulations. That framework matters because it turns the page into more than a simple order of wins and losses. It is a national snapshot of who is active, who is being weighed at the right class, and who the committee believes can still hold up under the pace of open competition.

The right-hand top 15 also placed Kevin Palko, Andrew Wallace, Levi Knight, Otha Loving, Davit Stepanyan, Cameron Williamson, Michael Hitt, Yeison Vanegas, Derek Dobol, Garrett Tupper, Davit Nikabadze and Kris Mikels inside the main board. Just below them, Nolen Sellwood, Jamie Hoburn and Brad Spine were listed next, a reminder of how thin the gap can be between being ranked and forcing your way into the conversation. On the left-hand side, Cody Wood led one division ahead of Roman Gromov, Davit Stepanyan, Vadim Gherman, Kris Mikels, Garrett Tupper, Levi Knight, Colton Dotson, Kyle Connor, Kevin Palko, Grant Pitcher, Andrew Wallace, Oleg Yefimenko, Bryan Arrington and Davit Nikabadze.

Other left-hand and right-hand boards widened the picture even further. Justin Bishop, Corey Miller, Hunter Noffz, Isaiah Jones, George Whitfield, Eli Saidov, Colton Kimbrough, Josh Koenig, Sam Taylor, Lane Perry, Brandon Simpson, Brian Malek, Mike Lindner, Geoff Boettjer and Alexander Groot filled one right-hand class, while Craig Tullier, David Egyan, Paul Talbott, Vrezh Sedrakyan, Bob Brown, Austin Wade, Artem Taranenko, Oleh Moisei, Roby Russell, Zach Hayden, Ethan Mercer, Luke Kindt, Cole Kasper, Beau Horner and John Brumskine Jr. populated another. Ryan Belanger also headed a separate right-hand group that included Adam Wawrzynski, Arsen Khachatryan, Andrei Sharkevich, Jason Merlo, Bo Oleson, Brent Rakers, Tim Tallmadge, Matt King, Steven Logsdon, Bill Sinks, Mykola Renitsa, Storm Chellino, Scott Partington and Ryan Bellesteros.

What makes the June 18 release especially important is the calendar beneath it. Armfighter’s summer slate includes Illinois Settlers Showdown, Battleground VIII, Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee, WSOA West Coast Regional, Cornhusker State Games 2026, Florida Strong Arm Challenge 14, Pandemonium 3, Western Idaho Championship, Marshall County Fair Armwrestling and North Dakota State. Battleground VIII and RIVALS 7 are both scheduled for July 25 at Highland Pistol & Rifle Club in Highland, Illinois, and those dates give the rankings a short fuse. If the board lags behind real momentum anywhere, it will be in the weeks ahead, when one strong weekend can move a contender from the edge of the list to the center of the summer title picture.