Licis is the current world record holder of the Steinborn squat, Sorinex Saxon bar deadlift, Thor's Hammer one arm grip lift, Inver Stones loading, and Conan's Wheel of Pain strongman events.

During summers, he visited his grandparents' farm in Latvia, where he was first introduced to stone lifting by his grandfather Imants Līcis, a sculptor who formerly competed in Olympic weightlifting.

[4] After being bullied at age 12, he turned to weight-training to, as he said, become “outrageously strong so that nobody can touch me.” [5] Licis wrestled in high school and began competing in strongman contests while still a teenager.

He won gold in the 2016 MAS Wrestling Open World Championships in Columbus Ohio, beating out previous champion Viktor Kolibabchuk.

[6] Licis' first pro triumph came in 2017 at the Ultimate Strongman Summermania, winning the competition representing his home country Latvia.

[7] In June later that year, however, he won his first World's Strongest Man title, beating out defending champion Hafþór, who finished in third after suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during the heats that significantly hampered him in the final.

His win in the last event Stone-to-Shoulder for Reps secured him the title of the Arnold Strongman Classic for the first time, after finishing runner-up and third place in 2019 and 2020.

[18] Licis made his submission grappling debut in the beginner over 100kg division at the ADCC San Diego Open on January 18, 2025 and submitted both of his opponents to win a gold medal.