'Big, blokey guys' who need to talk find brotherhood in arm wrestling

The brotherhood behind arm wrestling's grip Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 8:33am After dedicating a decade of his life to arm wrestling, Tom Ugljesa has pretty firm grasp on his goals for the sport. "If breakdancing can be a sport in the Olympics, then goddamn it, arm wrestling can," he said. Arm wrestling has found popularity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but less so in Australia, where there are about 30 clubs. Mr Ugljesa said there is a great deal of camaraderie in the sport. "Us big, blokey guys, we still need to talk — we're all just kids on the inside," he said. "It doesn't matter whether it's ballroom dancing or it's arm wrestling — find a sport where you can gel with others around you and that'll give you some avenue to talk." But for members of a Gold Coast arm wrestling club, some of that conversation will involve a healthy amount of friendly trash talk. 'It builds a stronger bond' Liam Cross, 17, has been arm wrestling for two years. "When you first start, yes, it hurts a lot," he said. "But my whole upper body got bigger — your forearms, your chest, your back, even your hands get bigger." Mr Cross said there was a psychological element as well. He has been goading some more experienced arm wrestlers into matches by jokingly trash talking them on social media. "Some people do like to trash talk each other a lot," Mr Cross said. "But it builds a stronger bond with the person after the match. Also, the mental game of arm wrestling is about 25 per cent." 'Stronger mentally and physically' Faatali Mataio coaches arm wrestling at his club in Pimpama on the northern Gold Coast, which has grown to 65 members since the pandemic. But this passion was accidental — he stumbled across an arm wrestling competition during a pub sesh with his mates. "They paid for my entry, $20 an arm, and I placed third and went on to compete in the Melbourne classics, or the Arnold classics," he said. "I've become a better person, just meeting these boys, they've changed me as much as I've changed them as coach." Mr Mataio said some of the club members were looking for connections after struggles in their personal lives. "We've had guys suffering from PTSD, anxiety, guys that came out of some really bad situations in their marriages," he said. "It has made them stronger mentally and physically." 'But on the table, it's pure war' Tom Ugljesa started arm wrestling during a struggle with his mental health after some friends took their own lives more than 10 years ago. "Sometimes, men, we just don't have a place to talk," he said. "I'm passionate about showing men how to arm wrestle and also just how to have general conversation about life." Mr Ugljesa said the sport pushes people to train harder and get stronger. "A little bit of that competition and exerting stuff, but the main thing is camaraderie between the guys," he said. "When they call you over and start to talk to you, it's like, 'This guy is my best friend already and I want to be his best friend.'" Mr Mataio said growing the sport of arm wrestling has given him something to focus on other than "the rat race, the 9 till 5". But when the competition starts, there is no holding back. "Off the table we're all friendly, we're all mates," Mr Mataio said. "But on the table, it's pure war."