"It's unbelievable how big and tough the arm wrestlers are at worlds," said Cordova. "You're going from facing some tough competitors you sometimes already know to facing the national champion of each country in that weight class."

Cordova, 27, has won righthanded and lefthanded national arm wrestling titles at 121 pounds the past three years. He traveled with Team USA in September to Rosolina, Italy, south of Venice, for the 31st World Armwrestling Championships, where he placed fourth lefthanded and eighth righthanded in his weight class.

He was seventh righthanded and 14th lefthanded at the 2008 worlds in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, and made his world championship debut in Bulgaria in 2007.

"Statewide in New Mexico, the level of competition has really shot up," said Cordova. "That helps everyone all the way across Team New Mexico."

The 1999 Los Lunas High graduate and former wrestler has made a living doing building inspections and in real estate, and he's taking a short respite from arm wrestling. He'll be back in action soon, however, as the New Mexico State Championships are just around the corner in February. No exact dates have been set yet.

The U.S. nationals for 2010 are slated to be held in Billings, Mont., in August. One of the reasons Cordova wants to qualify for worlds again is that the 32nd World Championships are set to be held in Mesquite, Nev., near Las Vegas.

While having a world competition in Vegas might seem like setting off firecrackers in the middle of a neurotic circus, Cordova is looking forward to the event. He knows it's a chance for the sport to show the world what it's really like, moving away from stereotypes like the ones shown in the 1987 Sylvester Stallone movie "Over the Top."

Cordova said he's thankful to his coach, Jeff Ames, and to his main sponsor, Exit Altura Realty. He's beaten some well-known American champions, been featured on numerous TV segments, and often sports a "Superman" T-shirt tied to his nickname.

He's used his notoriety as a platform to speak to students, especially ones at the elementary level, about the dangers of drugs and other negative behaviors. He stresses the importance of nutrition, especially bone density and the calcium level required for that, something some arm wrestlers seem to learn about the hard way.

Cordova is already enthused about the state championships in February.

"I can't wait for state to get here," he said.