The Romania Muscle Fest Pro has become one of the most popular contests in the IFBB Pro League outside of the United States. This show has had north of 100 competitors in the past. In the Men’s Open category, past champions of this contest include Regan Grimes (2020), Cedric McMillan (2019), and Maxx Charles (2018).
The 2021 edition of this contest is scheduled to take place on the weekend of Nov. 13-14, 2021 in the city of Bucharest. Tim Gardner of Wings of Strength is the promoter for this contest. Over 150 competitors will grace the stage in nine pro divisions. Every one of them aims to win and qualify for the 2022 Olympia in Las Vegas, NV. The main event is the Men’s Open, which will feature 25 pro bodybuilders from 19 different countries. The lineup for that division is below in alphabetical order.
Men’s Open Roster
- Khaled Alkazem
- Behrooz Tabani Abarghani
- Morgan Aste
- Pavel Beran
- Rafael Brandao
- Victor Joel Rea Cano
- Marcela Pedro Da Cruz
- Jamie Christian-Johal
- Samson Dauda
- Quinton Eriya
- Kevin Gebhardt
- Aivars Grighanis
- Mirnes Husahovic
- Boyan Ivanov
- Dani Kaganovich
- Ahmet Kocak
- Toni Kohonen
- Bela Kokeny
- Emir Omeragic
- Pouria Payoun
- Fabio Romagnolo
- Milan Sadek
- Bruno Oliveira Santos
- Jan Turek
- Roelly Winklaar
Men’s Open Favorites
Here’s a quick breakdown of three competitors who have the potential to take home the gold.
Samson Dauda
Dauda is coming off of his first professional victory at the 2021 Prague Pro, and he is already qualified for the Olympia as a result. He had already committed to this show before the Prague contest, so he opted to go through with competing. His muscles were full and pushing right up against the skin in his last appearance, and he wasn’t sweating much.
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If he can bring the same shape, there’s a strong possibility that Dauda can win his second pro show in Romania. Before this contest, Dauda had competed in four contests in a five-week span, so he needs to make sure he doesn’t fatigue while going through comparisons.
Rafael Brandao
Branda, who placed second in the 2021 Prague contest is chasing that elusive first professional win so he can earn his ticket to the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest. Another high finish would add points to his score on the Olympia Qualification Series, but winning would save him the effort of competing in multiple shows. He needs to make sure he loses excess water and holds poses as long as possible onstage. He’s within striking distance of winning contests, but he needs to close the door in the Finals.
Roelly Winklaar
Winklaar is still looking for his first win in over two years, and he has competed in five contests this calendar year. His highest placing is second, which he placed twice to Nathan De Asha. He currently sits in a tie for fifth place on the points standings, so that path is an uphill battle for the man from Curacao. Even though this is a large lineup, he is one of the more established competitors in it. This could be the perfect time for him to peak and win.
Olympia Qualifying Points and Other Divisions
This contest is considered a tier three show in the Olympia Qualification Series, which means more points will be offered for the second, third, fourth, and fifth place finishers in every division than a tier four contest. The points will be allocated as follows.
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- Second — 6 points
- Third — 5 points
- Fourth — 4 points
- Fifth — 3 points
As for the other divisions, the only two that will not be contested in Romania are Fitness and Wheelchair. The full lineups for the other eight divisions as of Nov. 10, 2021, are below in alphabetical order.
212 Division Roster
- Babak Akbarniya
- Abdulrhaman Al Khashti
- Radoslav Angelov
- Ahmad Ashkanani
- Jafar Ghaffarnezhad Azizi
- Pasquale D’Angelo
- Angel Calderon Frias
- Adnan Gosto
- Roman Iushchenko
- Meysham Keshvari
- Zoran Kolevski
- Ching-Chieh Lin
- Naser Mohamed
- Jamie do Rego
- Thomas Ruggini
- Haitham Sadiq
- Daniel Sticco
- Samir Troudi
Classic Physique Roster
- Hassan Mahdi Abdulreda
- Abdullah Alsairafi
- Gergely Arnold
- Vahid Badpei
- Jose Maria Mete Bueriberi
- Victor Bortoletto
- Luqas Fogelberg
- Jamie Vergara Hernandez
- Luis Garcia Martinez
- Carlo Michellini
- Yevhenii Mykhailenko
- Subiel Nisar
- Mahdi Parvani
- German Pastor
- Artem Puchkov
- Denis Romanov
- Jesus Rodriguez Sendra
- Alexandros Staboulis
- Pavel Szotkowski
- Mikhail Timoshin
- Giuseppe Zagarella
Men’s Physique Roster
- Mohammed Albanna
- Mishal Alhassan
- Abdulaziz Almohandes
- Abdullah Al Sabea
- Sanad Alsanad
- Andrea Amato
- Anton Antipov
- Alexis Autreau
- Alessandro Cavaganola
- Josh Coyle
- Jeffrey Darko
- Youcef Djoudi
- Daniele D’Onofrio
- Furkan Er
- Lorenzo Giachetti
- Alexis Gonzalez
- Valentin Guilloux
- Denis Gusev
- Miroslav Juricek
- Daniel Leone
- Andrei Lincan
- Andrea Mosti
- Balint Nemeth
- Luigi Oltean
- Maxime Parisi
- Riccardo Paul
- Manual Santalucia
- Nicola Scarpa
- Abel Sousa
- Omar Suleiman
- Leonardo Vecchiato
- Dawid Wachelka
- Emile Walker
Women’s Bodybuilding Roster
- Mayla Ash
- Nadia Capotosto
- Ivana Dvorakova
- Zelijka Dzafic Terzo
- Tiana Flex
- Anastasia Korableva
- Claudia Mocciaro
- Branka Njegovec
Women’s Physique Lineup
- Ilaria Armeni
- Marie Bouchalova
- Alejandra Chacon
- Lenka Ferencukova
- Julia Glazycheva
- Yaiza Miranda Gonzalez
- Modesta Halby
- Mirea Henriquez
- Jeanette Johansson
- Christina Kremser
- Gemma Lancaster
- Sophia Leo
- Anne-Lorraine Mohn
- Sanna Nupponen
- Elina Oinonen
Figure Roster
- Maryam Barndad
- Zulfiya Bityeva
- Kristina Bodnariuk
- Annelies Charlotte Fortuin
- Veronica Gallego Garcia
- Jasmina Sanchez Gomez
- Julia Heerenveen
- Elena Kirshchina
- Gabriela Linhartova
- Tereza Linhartova
- Paula Ranta
- Konnie Slyziute
- Yadviga Zakurina
- Claretta Zanettin
- Jennifer Zienert
Bikini Roster
- Ana Paula Baggio
- Matilde Biagini
- Catia Sofia Fonseca Couto
- Stine Hansen
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Simona Daniela Pavel
- Priscila Rodrigues
- Rukiye Solak
- Aneta Szoltysek
- Giuditta Taccani
- Allison Testu
- Elisabet Vang
- Ana Maria Vintu
- Babett Vongsanti
Wellness Roster
- Maria Paulette Aranguren
- Aysegul Besli
- Pamela Bonaccorso
- Leonida Ciobu
- Charline Mas
- Anna Mroczkowska
- Figen Sahin
- Martyna Staszewska-Tiu
How to Watch the Show
Muscle & Fitness is offering a pay-per-view on their Plus website for fans interested in watching the action live throughout the entire weekend. The event can be purchased in advance for $39.99.
Featured Image: @ifbbpro_samsondauda and nadia.capotostoifbbpro on Instagram
