Pull Daily analyst goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in East vs West. Today, he takes a closer look at EVW 26’s Right Arm Middleweight match between Rustam Babaiev and Eldar Bubenko, live September 12, 2026, in Jiaxing, China.
Rustam Babaiev EVW 26 preview
Staple info:
- Record: EVW 2-2, KOTT 1-1
- Height: 5’7″ (172 cm) Age: 44 Weight: 95 kg (209 lb)
- Last fight: Lost to Betkili Oniani 0-3, left arm, EVW 23 (April 18, 2026)
- Biceps: 46 cm Forearm: 40 cm
- Versatility: Low
- Risk management: Committed — lives and dies by getting opponents into his hook
Supplemental info:
- One of the most decorated résumés in armwrestling history, with WAF and European world titles across 70, 80 and 85 kg
- Multiple-time Nemiroff/Zloty Tur champion
- EVW veteran with wins over elite names like Paul Linn (3-0, EVW 14)
- KOTT 13 winner, beat Sandris Šedis 4-0
- Historic 6-0 PAL supermatch win over Todd Hutchings in 2017
- Extremely muscular, compact frame for his height — 46 cm biceps at 172 cm
- Widely regarded as one of the greatest hook specialists the sport has produced
- ^ Builds his whole game around dragging opponents inside and burying them under arm and shoulder pressure
- Proven against much bigger men throughout his career, including Top 8-era appearances against heavier elite pullers
- ^ Not unbeatable by a toproll — Evgeny Prudnik famously toprolled him at EuroArm 2013 — but instances of it happening are rare
- ^ His short stature can cost him hand and finger leverage against taller outside pullers before he gets to his preferred position
- ^ All three of his career EVW/KOTT losses have come against a similar profile: bigger, outside-oriented pullers who kept him from establishing the hook
Eldar Bubenko EVW 26 preview
Staple info:
- Record: EVW 1-0, KOTT —
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm) Age: 45 Weight: ~91 kg (200 lb)
- Last fight: Beat Paul Linn 3-0, right arm, EVW 25 (August 1, 2026)
- Biceps: 43 cm Forearm: 39 cm
- Versatility: Low
- Risk management: Patient — wins hand control first, then commits outside
Supplemental info:
- Perfect EVW start — beat Paul Linn 3-0 in his debut at EVW 25
- Nearly a decade of competitive background, including Russian championships and WAF events
- Proven on both arms, not a one-side specialist
- Russian national results climbing weight classes — 85 kg (2022), 100 kg (2023)
- Tall frame with real arm size to match — 43 cm biceps, 39 cm forearm at 185 cm
- Outside-oriented game built to use his height and reach for hand control before committing
- ^ Heavy backpressure and pronation are the foundation of his toproll rather than pure speed
- Comfortable at heavier weights, with results up to 100 kg and beyond
- ^ Publicly documented elite supermatch résumé is thin next to a legend like Babaiev — worth being careful not to oversell his track record yet
- ^ Wrist and grip measurements aren’t clearly documented; better not to manufacture numbers that don’t exist
- ^ If an opponent denies him the outside position and drags him into a deep hook battle, his height edge matters much less
Rustam Babaiev vs. Eldar Bubenko breakdown: Middleweight maelstrom
The Right Arm Middleweight clash in Jiaxing brings together a division legend and a rising contender who has wasted little time proving he belongs at the highest level.
Babaiev has dominated this weight class for the better part of two decades, and it’s not really close. His game is built around a single, ruthless move: get the opponent’s arm into a hook, bury it under compact, over-the-top pressure, and let his elite sidepressure strength finish the job. It’s a style that has eaten some of the best hookers and toprollers the sport has ever produced.
Bubenko is new to EVW, but nothing about his debut looked like a newcomer’s performance. His toproll isn’t built on flash — it’s built on heavy backpressure and pronation, generated by real height and arm size, the kind of combination that gives compact inside pullers genuine problems. Where Babaiev wants to close the distance and drag opponents into his shoulder, Bubenko wants to win the hand-fight first and keep the battle out where his reach plays.
Rustam Babaiev vs. Eldar Bubenko point of interest: Over the top Hook vs Heavy Backpressure Toproll
Babaiev’s hook isn’t the classic chopping hook most great inside pullers rely on — where the bottom of the hand slices down into the opponent’s wrist. Babaiev doesn’t have a long arm, which means at some point in the referee’s grip, his opponent has to give something up — whether that’s position on the pad or where the riser sits.
The question underneath all of it is simple: can Bubenko’s outside game and hand control keep Babaiev from ever getting the position he needs?
Rustam Babaiev vs. Eldar Bubenko prediction, pick
Babaiev’s resume speaks for itself, and betting against one of the greatest hook pullers of all time is never comfortable. But his career losses at this level all share a pattern, and Bubenko checks every box in that pattern: taller, outside-oriented, backpressure-heavy, and unwilling to simply give up the hand-fight.
If Babaiev finds his usual entry and gets Bubenko’s arm anywhere near his shoulder, this ends fast in Rustam’s favor — his track record inside a hook speaks for itself. But if Bubenko’s backpressure and pronation let him win the early hand-fight and keep the battle outside, Babaiev is fighting uphill against exactly the kind of opponent who has given him trouble before.
I’ll lean toward the newcomer here. Bubenko’s profile is too close to the blueprint that has already beaten Babaiev for it to be a coincidence.
Prediction: Bubenko, by winning the hand-fight and keeping it outside
Rustam Babaiev vs. Eldar Bubenko start time, how to watch
Babaiev and Bubenko are on the card for EVW 26 on September 12, 2026, in Jiaxing, China, with the match expected around 12:00 p.m. ET. It streams on EVW Sports.
