On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the IFBB Pro League will host their next men’s open contest to determine who will qualify for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, scheduled to take place the weekend of Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV — The 2022 Indy Pro. It will be held in Indianapolis, IN, and features three pro divisions — Men’s Open, 212, and Women’s Bodybuilding.
2022 Indy Pro Rosters
The full list of competitors for all three divisions is below:
Men’s Open
- Blessing Awodibu
- Slavoj Bednar
- Maxx Charles
- Ross Flanigan
- Ron Gordon
- Charles Griffen
- Dorian Haywood
- Matt Kouba
- Walter Martin
- Eslam Mohamed
- Diogo Nunes
- Justin Rodriguez
- Ray Short
- Brent Swansen
212 Division
- Noel Adame
- Abdullah Alsaif
- Bryan Balzano
- Peter Castella
- Arturo Cotto
- Broderick Credell
- Joey Decaminada
- LeLand DeVaughn
- Yumon Eaton
- Asante Gibson
- Teddy Gray
- Boas Oliveira
- Enmanuel Rodriguez
- Mark Smith
Women’s Bodybuilding
- Jada Beverly
- Stephanie Flesher
- Theresa Ivancik
- Lisa Kudrey
- Donna Salib
View this post on Instagram
[Related: Watch Chris Bumstead Forge His Pecs With Heavy Presses and Volume Training]
Men’s Open Favorites | Rodriguez, Awodibu, Charles
Rodriguez is the defending champion, and he will be considered the favorite to win a second title at this show. He will join Steve Kuclo as a two-time winner of this contest if he does. Rodriguez finished eighth at the 2021 Mr. Olympia, and he’s coming off a fifth place finish at the 2022 Arnold Classic in March. Unless he is way off his peak for this show, he will likely be your champion at the end of the contest.
Awodibu placed third at this contest one year ago, and he came in sixth at the New York Pro one week later. Nick Walker won that contest. Awodibu took the remainder of 2021 off to add size overall, especially in his legs. He has vowed to be better than he was at the 2021 contest. If he is, then the matchup between him and Rodriguez will be very interesting.
The last time bodybuilding fans saw Charles compete was at the 2022 Boston Pro, where he placed fifth. Before that, he stood onstage at the Arnold Classic, where he finished eighth. He has been in the hunt at several contests in recent years, but his last victory came at the 2018 Romania Muscle Fest Pro. If the other two favorites are off, the New York native could certainly break that winless streak in Indianapolis.
Dark Horse | Griffen
Griffen will be making his first appearance of 2022 on a pro stage. He surprised the fans at the 2021 Tampa Pro by placing third. Iain Valliere placed first. The 2015 NPC Nationals heavyweight winner has won one show so far in his career – the 2018 Muscle Mayhem. He won’t be the biggest guy on the stage, but his definition and symmetry can serve him well.
Other Notes
Peter Klancir was scheduled to compete in the men’s open of this show, but he reported on Instagram that he had to pull out due to travel issues. He still intends to compete in the New York Pro on May 21, 2022. A pay-per-view is available for fans who can’t be in Indianapolis to watch the contest live. The pre-order price of the event is $9.99 USD, and it can be ordered on the Indy Pro website.
Featured Image: @justindifbb on Instagram
