One of the most popular divisions in the IFBB Pro League is the Men’s Physique division. That isn’t only true for the fans but the athletes as well. Evidence of that statement can be provided by looking at the 2022 Olympia Weekend rosters for all 11 pro divisions. The Men’s Physique Olympia will feature the most competitors out of all pro rosters.
Seventy-two men will show up to prejudging on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at the Venetian in Las Vegas, NV, with only 10 moving on to the finals that night at the Zappos Theater in the same city. The full roster of qualified athletes is listed below in alphabetical order.
2022 Men’s Physique Olympia Roster
- Mahmood Al-Maghrabi
- Yousef Al-Shaban
- Daniel Ammons
- Adelyemi Awoyemi
- Erin Banks
- Montae Bailey
- Ali Bilal
- George Brown
- Steven Cao
- Alessandro Cavagnola
- Peng Chao
- Bhuwan Chauhan
- Vitor Chaves
- Rodrigue Chesnier
- Bongsuk Choi
- Emmanuel Costa
- Riccardo Croci
- Jeffrey Darko
- Carlos DeOliveira
- Youcef Djoudi
- Raymont Edmonds
- Je Endrina
- Furkan Er
- Andre Ferguson
- Felipe Franco
- Sotirios Gkatsis
- Reuben Glass
- Charjo Grant
- Myron Griffin
- Tunahan Guyler
- Sadik Hadzovic
- JuXian He
- Brandon Hendrickson
- Kyron Holden
- Terrence Teo Kok Hua
- Emanual Hunter
- Jason Huynh
- Jonas Jamena
- Mehdi Kabbadj
- Shun Kaneko
- Hossein Karimi
- Imran Khan
- Burak King
- Nicolas Koeu
- Junho Lee
- Jingbo Li
- Vincius Mateus Viera Lima
- Benquil Marigny
- David Mazzolari
- Clarence McSpadden
- Diogo Montenegro
- Corey Morris
- Elton Mota
- Jahvair Mullings
- Balint Nemeth
- Edvan Palmeira
- Chevy Phillips
- Abisai Pietersz
- Sidy Pouye
- Ponpaisan Ruangsangpen
- Arya Saffaie
- Joven Sagabain
- Ahmed Shokry
- Fabrizio Dos Santos Silva
- Winston Sullivan
- Ryan Terry
- Alexander Toplyn
- Emile Walker
- Antoine Weatherspoon
- Long Wu
- Yukihiro Yuasa
- Zheyu Zhang
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmAgS3iJSmY/
[Related: The Risks and Rewards of Extreme Leanness on the Road to the Bikini Olympia]
Not Competing
So far, the only competitor that we know will not be competing at the Olympia will be Sadik Hadzovic, who announced his withdrawal on Dec. 6, 2022. No reason was given for his absence. BarBend will provide updates should other competitors confirm they will not enter the contest.
Past Champions
Three-time and defending Olympia champion Brandon Hendrickson is in this lineup, and many experts consider him to be the favorite to win a fourth title in 2022. That would tie him with Jeremy Buendia for the most ever. It would also set up an interesting showdown in 2023. Buendia has suggested he may return to the stage next year, and he would look forward to a showdown with Hendrickson for the honor of being the division’s first five-time champion.
Hendrickson isn’t the only Olympia winner in this lineup. Raymont Edmonds defeated Hendrickson at the 2019 Olympia to win the title for himself. Edmonds was fifth in the 2021 Olympia, but he maintains automatic Olympia qualification as a former champion. He will be looking to spoil Hendrickson’s and Buendia’s plans by taking his second title.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmGON_eOq_R/
[Related: Michal “Krizo” Križánek Smashes a Chest Workout Just 10 Days Out From 2022 Mr. Olympia]
Top Contenders
The 2021 Olympia runner-up is also the 2022 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique champion. Erin Banks is considered the man that could knock Hendrickson off his perch and win his first Olympia championship. He doesn’t lack confidence, and he’s been working on his upper body to be his all-time best at the Olympia. As long as he doesn’t compromise his symmetry, the matchup between Banks and Hendrickson will be good for the fans.
Last year’s third-place finisher was Diogo Montenegro. He’s been absent from the stage in 2022 but has won seven shows in his pro career. Fans are wondering what kind of improvements he’s made since his last appearance in Orlando, FL. He will have to be significantly better if he wants to make his way into the top two.
[Read More: The Best Upper Body Exercises and Workouts]
Kyron Holden made a big statement in the 2022 New York Pro where he took the win. He will look to enter the top three at this year’s contest after finishing fourth one year ago in Orlando. This will be his sixth time competing at the Olympia.
Dark Horses
It’s hard to call a three-time Arnold Classic winner a dark horse, but Andre Ferguson found himself in ninth place at the 2021 Olympia. His victory at the 2022 Atlantic Coast Pro was the 16th win of his eight-year pro career. He may be the greatest competitor to have not won the Olympia, but he can certainly do it this year.
Brazilian sensation Carlos DeOliveira took a top-six finish in his third Olympia contest last year. He won the Monterrey Pro less than one month later to qualify for the 2022 Olympia. That gave him over a year to prepare for this show. DeOliveira hopes that the Olympia being in Las Vegas, where he made his first Olympia appearance, will serve him well.
Arya Saffaie quietly found himself in eighth place last year, and a top-10 placing could also be in the cards for him in Las Vegas. Like DeOliveira, he won a contest late in 2021, that year’s Atlantic Coast Pro, to secure an Olympia qualification and give himself over 12 months to prepare.
2022 Vancouver Pro winner Charjo Grant won the 2022 Vancouver Pro, and the United States Army service member has his sights set on the top 10. Grant finished 12th at the Olympia in both 2021 and 2020. He told BarBend that he would like to make the first callout with the favorites.
Arya Saffaie quietly found himself in eighth place last year, and a top-10 placing is in the cards for him in Las Vegas.
An international star that was absent from the lineup in 2021 was former Arnold Classic winner Ryan Terry. Terry is back in 2022, and he brings a symmetrical physique with him to the stage. He’s been vocal on social media that he’s going to Las Vegas to win the title. He’s been as high as second at the Olympia, but he would likely need the favorites to be off the mark if he hoped to move past them in the final placings.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl6osKTDx40/
[Related: Paper-Thin Skin: The Legacy of Bodybuilder Andreas Münzer]
New Contenders
With over 70 men in this show, there are many of them that will be competing on bodybuilding’s biggest stage for the first time. Making the top 10 would be a lofty goal considering the quality of competitors already in positions to do so. A few athletes could make some noise at the Olympia, including 2022 DC Pro winner Vitor Chaves, Winston Sullivan, who placed first at the Daytona Pro, and South Korea’s Junho Lee, who won the Korea Pro to make his Olympia debut.
To find out who will win this title and all the Olympia championships in Las Vegas, you can buy the 2022 Olympia pay-per-view premium package for $59.99 at the Olympia Productions website. All rounds of all 11 pro contests will be streamed live from Las Vegas. You can also check back with BarBend because we’ll be providing live coverage of both days of competitions.
Featured Image: @brandon.d.hendrickson on Instagram
