
One of the World’s Best Arm Wrestlers Lives in the Mohawk Valley
At some point during your childhood you likely remember testing your toughness among friends by challenging someone to an arm wrestling contest. For some, it's a regular challenge after having one too many beers out at the bar. Did you know it's actually a well-organized and official sport across the globe? One of the best arm wrestlers in the world lives right here in Central New York.
Michael "Spikedogg" Grimaldi and his family are the owners and operators of Boulevard Diner in Whitesboro, NY. When he's not making world-class breakfast or baking world-class deserts, Spikedogg is participating in world-class competition. Grimaldi is an 11-time New York State Champion arm wrestler and since he moved to his latest weight class of 176, he has not been beaten. While the sport is something he enjoys, he enjoys being a husband and father much more. He thanks his family for their incredible support in his arm wrestling endeavors. In fact, he says if it wasn't for his children he'd be "out there kicking even more butt."
Grimaldi says while fatherhood is something he is laser focused on, he still competes and he has a big event coming up soon. Grimaldi tells WIBX,
I have a big event coming up in Canada. It's the Major Arm Wrestling Championships, it's the Mac event. They put on a bunch of pay-per-views. They have a bunch of super matches and I am participating in Team USA vs. Team Canada.
This upcoming royale puts the best 5 guys in the U.S. versus the best 5 guys in Canada. That event is scheduled for March 8th and he's training for that now. There is a lot of training that goes into arm wrestling. It's not just the arm you have to train. Grimaldi says,
This is stand-up arm wrestling, so you need to train everything from your fingertips, to your hands, both sides of your forearms, triceps, biceps and front delts.
Not being prepared and not knowing what you're doing can really lead to some serious injuries and as Grimaldi said, "You don't want to hear the loud pop of a humerus bone."
While he enjoys the life of a world-class arm wrestler, he has been able to keep a low profile. If you go overseas to nations like the Country of Georgia, those are paid athletes and are as famous as American baseball or football players. You can show your support for Michael coming up on March 8th during his pay-per-view performance. It's just $15 to support our hometown native son.
While it has an older event loaded in there now, check back for updates. You can see Grimaldi whoop butt on March 8th, 2025 LIVE from Canada. Just visit https://www.premstream.com/e/MAC2. You can also check out Spikedogg's profile by CLICKING HERE.
Check out our full interview with Michael Grimaldi below.
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