Timur Arbuzov first came to prominence during the 2024 World Championships where he made it all the way to the final. There, he lost to Tato Grigalashvili (GEO).
Later that year, Arbuzov would make it to the final of the 2024 Tokyo Grand Slam. He lost that one to Sotaro Fujiwara (JPN).
After that, he would have a great run in 2025, where he would win the European and World Championships, both times beating Grigalashvili in the final.
At the end of the year, he lost to Yoshito Hojo (JPN) in the quarterfinal of the 2025 Tokyo Grand Slam, and would end up with a bronze. But he was back to great form in the 2026 European Championships, where he totally demolished his arch-rival, Grigalashvili.
If there were any lingering doubts about who the top player in the -81kg category is today, they were all wiped out with Arbuzov’s stellar performance in the final.
