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Home » Bodybuilding News » Every Winner of the New York Pro Bodybuilding Show

Every Winner of the New York Pro Bodybuilding Show

This contest has introduced several new stars to the world of bodybuilding.

Written by Roger Lockridge
Last updated on May 18th, 2025

The first two contests that come to the mind of many bodybuilding fans are the Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic. There are other prestigious shows with rich histories. Among them is the New York Pro.

The New York Pro was previously known as the Night of Champions. After promoter Wayne DeMilia left the IFBB to create his own organization, the leadership of the IFBB Pro League opted to create a new contest. Thus, the New York Pro was born.

Three New York Pro champs have also won the Olympia, and four others have Arnold Classic titles in their trophy cases. Only three men have won the contest twice since it began in 2005. Below are the winners and top finishers in the contest’s 17-year history.

Every New York Pro Winner

  • Darrem Charles (2005)
  • Phil Heath (2006)
  • Branch Warren (2007)
  • Kai Greene (2008, 2011)
  • Evan Centopani (2009)
  • Roelly Winklaar (2010)
  • Cedric McMillan (2012)
  • Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (2013, 2014)
  • Juan Morel (2015, 2019)
  • Dexter Jackson (2016)
  • Sergio Oliva Jr. (2017)
  • Nathan De Asha (2018)
  • Iain Valliere (2020)
  • Nick Walker (2021, 2024-2025)
  • Blessing Awodibu (2022)
  • Tonio Burton (2023)

Darrem Charles (2005)

The inaugural New York Pro was met with great anticipation from fans and athletes alike. Several big names jumped into this contest. The man that would ultimately become the first New York Pro champion was Darrem Charles.

This was Charles’ fifth win as a pro, and he won the Toronto Pro later that year. Charles would finish with eight Open wins, one Masters win, and seven victories in the Classic Physique division before calling it a career in 2017.

This contest also saw the debut of a young bodybuilder named Kai Greene, who placed 14th. Spoiler: you’ll see his name again.

  1. Darrem Charles
  2. Ahmad Haider
  3. Victor Martinez
  4. Craig Richardson
  5. Capriese Murray
  6. Chris Cook
  7. Luke Wood
  8. Bob Cicherillo
  9. Paco Bautista
  10. Mustafa Mohammad
  11. Onder Adsay
  12. George Farah
  13. Miguel Filho
  14. Kai Greene
  15. Jason Arntz

[Related: Here’s What Brandon Curry Eats to Fuel his Olympia Prep] 

Phil Heath (2006)

Charles had hoped to repeat as champion in 2006, but he had several big name contenders in his way, including Dennis James, David Henry, and King Kamali. However, one man that no one thought would be in the mix was Phil Heath. 

“The Gift” had won the Colorado Pro that season, but he wasn’t expected to win this contest at this stage of his career. Still, Heath left with the second pro victory of his rookie season. He didn’t compete again that season, but it was clear that the next big star in the sport had arrived.

  1. Phil Heath
  2. Darrem Charles
  3. Dennis James
  4. David Henry
  5. Bill Wilmore
  6. Shari “King” Kamali
  7. George Farah
  8. Rodney St. Cloud
  9. Jaroslav Horvath
  10. Pavlo Jablonicky
  11. Eddie Abbew
  12. Jason Arntz
  13. Luke Wood
  14. Silvio Samuel
  15. John Hodgson

Branch Warren (2007)

Branch Warren, known for his large legs, had made a name for himself as a notable contender in bodybuilding, but wasn’t yet a superstar in 2007. Warren would go on to place second at the Mr. Olympia two years later, and he scored two Arnold Classic victories in 2011 and 2012. Even though he had won shows before the New York Pro, this event was what many fans consider the point that he took the next step to greatness.

  1. Branch Warren
  2. Dennis James
  3. Dennis Wolf
  4. Desmond Miller
  5. Silvio Samuel
  6. Kai Greene
  7. Craig Richardson
  8. Brian Chamberlain
  9. Shari “King” Kamali
  10. John Sherman
  11. Paco Bautista
  12. John Hodgson
  13. Frank Roberson
  14. Leo Ingram
  15. Milton Holloway

Kai Greene (2008 and 2011)

New York native Kai Greene had put bodybuilding fans and experts on notice that he was on the rise in 2008 when he placed third in the Arnold Classic. 

That third-place finish gave him a lot of momentum going into the New York Pro, a contest he had on his bucket list to win. After multiple tries, 2008 was the year that he finally took first place.

2008

  1. Kai Greene
  2. Kevin English
  3. Ronny Rockel
  4. David Henry
  5. Craig Richardson
  6. Ben White
  7. Martin Kjellstrom
  8. Leo Ingram
  9. Paco Bautista
  10. Charles Dixon
  11. Roc Shabazz
  12. Tarek El Satouhi
  13. Paul Baker
  14. Joel Stubbs
  15. Evgeny Mishin

Three years later, Greene had more titles under his belt, including two Arnold Classic victories. He was able to take his second New York Pro title in 2011. Greene is the only man to have won multiple Arnold Classic and New York Pro championships.

2011

  1. Kai Greene
  2. Ronny Rockel
  3. Craig Richardson
  4. Lionel Beyeke
  5. Robert Burneika
  6. Mike Kefalianos
  7. Khalid Almohsinawi
  8. Jason Huh
  9. Roelly Winklaar
  10. Brandon Curry
  11. Cedric McMillan
  12. Louis Joseph
  13. Alexander Nataf
  14. David Watson
  15. Grigory Atoyan

Evan Centopani (2009)

Veterans and rising stars have both won the New York Pro. However, Evan Centopani won the New York Pro as his first pro show. There were only 13 men in the field, but among them were Dennis James, Markus Ruhl, and 2005 winner Charles.

Many didn’t like Centopani’s chances, but he was confident. The 2007 NPC Nationals winner earned pro victory number one. Centopani won two more shows in his career — the 2011 Flex Pro, and the 2013 Tampa Pro.

  1. Evan Centopani
  2. Dennis James
  3. Markus Ruhl
  4. Silvio Samuel
  5. Hidetada Yamagishi
  6. Tarek El Satouhi
  7. Darrem Charles
  8. Evgeny Mishin
  9. Sergey Shelestov
  10. Ben White
  11. Mike Kefelianos
  12. Paco Bautista
  13. Eduard Von Amsterdam

Roelly Winklaar (2010)

Roelly Winklaar turned professional by winning the 2009 Arnold Amateur contest. By this point, the New York Pro was the clear third “major” bodybuilding contest, and several athletes wanted to be able to call themselves a champion, including Hidetada Yamagishi, Dennis Wolf, and Toney Freeman.

However, Winklaar had made his best appearance yet at this contest and clinched his first pro win. He went on to finish the season by placing 14th at the Olympia.

  1. Roelly Winklaar
  2. Hidetada Yamagishi
  3. Dennis Wolf
  4. Toney Freeman
  5. Erik Fankhouser
  6. Evgeny Mishin
  7. Ben Pakulski
  8. Johnnie Jackson
  9. Marius Dohne
  10. Jeff Long
  11. Sergey Shelestov
  12. Daniele Seccarecci
  13. Mike Van Wyck
  14. Manuel Romero
  15. Cesar Mendible

[Related: Hidetada Yamagishi Says He’s Retired From Competitive Bodybuilding]

Cedric McMillan (2012)

The 2012 contest was stacked with contenders like Steve Kuclo, Johnnie Jackson, and Juan Morel. One competitor that was building a growing fanbase was Cedric McMillan. The full-time United States Army service member had won the 2011 Orlando Show of Champions, and he was expected to place well in the 2012 New York Pro as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFd96P3kUYw

This first-place victory was the only show McMillan had that year, but he would go on to win other titles, including the 2017 Arnold Classic.

  1. Cedric McMillan
  2. Johnnie Jackson
  3. Steve Kuclo
  4. Juan Morel
  5. Jon DeLaRosa
  6. Vaughn Ettienne
  7. Tomas Bures
  8. Mohammad Touri
  9. Jeff Long
  10. Sean Allan
  11. Wendell Floys

Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (2013 and 2014)

McMillan and 2007 Arnold Classic winner Victor Martinez were the favorites to win the 2013 contest, but they ran into a big obstacle — Big Ramy. 2012 Amateur Olympia winner Mamdouh Elssbiay traveled from Egypt to make his pro debut and took his first pro win.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kai Greene (@kaigreene)

Elssbiay successfully defended his title the next year. He hasn’t competed in the contest again since his second victory, but he now has two Sandow Trophies to match his New York wins.

2013

  1. Mamdouh Elssbiay
  2. Victor Martinez
  3. Juan Morel
  4. Jon DeLaRosa
  5. Clarence DeVis
  6. Anthoneil Champaigne
  7. Marcus Haley
  8. Keith Williams
  9. Constantinos Demetrious
  10. Pablo Ayala
  11. An Nguyen
  12. Cedric McMillan
  13. Daniel Toth
  14. Antoine Vaillant

2014

  1. Mamdouh Elssbiay
  2. Juan Morel
  3. Jon DeLaRosa
  4. Lionel Beyeke
  5. Maxx Charles
  6. Daniel Toth
  7. Mike Kefalianos
  8. Marius Dohne
  9. Constantinos Demetrious
  10. Sergey Shelestov
  11. Akim Williams
  12. Jeff Beckham
  13. Henri Pierre Ano
  14. Eboni Wilson
  15. Saiid Tejan-Kamara

Juan Morel (2015 and 2019)

Juan Morel is from the New York area, and winning this contest was a goal for him. After three previous tries, he finally stood in first place in 2015. He also defeated one of his mentors in this contest. Martinez was the runner-up, and Maxx Charles rounded out the top three.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsDAgotelKU

Morel added a second New York Pro title in 2019. He also won the Arnold South America contest and the Japan Pro that season.

2015

  1. Juan Morel
  2. Victor Martinez
  3. Maxx Charles
  4. Henri Pierre Ano
  5. Grigori Atoyan
  6. Clarence DeVis
  7. Alex Federov
  8. Pablo Ayala Zayas
  9. Derek Upshaw
  10. Daniel Toth
  11. Juan Carlos Graham

2019

  1. Juan Morel
  2. Akim Williams
  3. Milan Sadek
  4. Jon DeLaRosa
  5. Justin Rodriguez
  6. Tim Budsheim
  7. Josh Wade
  8. James Hollingshead
  9. Justin Maki
  10. Robin Strand
  11. Joe Mackey
  12. Andrew Hudson
  13. Chris Didomenico
  14. Quincy Winklaar
  15. Mark Arthur Dautrauche

Dexter Jackson (2016)

There were very few things that Dexter “The Blade” Jackson hadn’t done in his career by 2016, but he had actually never won the New York Pro. In 2016, he became the first former Olympia winner to win the New York Pro. Jackson is still the only man to have won the Olympia, Arnold Classic, Masters Olympia, and New York Pro.

  1. Dexter Jackson
  2. Roelly Winklaar
  3. Victor Martinez
  4. Maxx Charles
  5. Steve Kuclo
  6. Juan Morel
  7. Nathan De Asha
  8. Jon DeLaRosa
  9. Jeff Beckham
  10. Brian Yersky
  11. Mike Kefalianos
  12. Blair Mone
  13. Rudy Richards
  14. Derek Upshaw
  15. Pablo Ayala Zayas

Sergio Oliva Jr. (2017)

In the 1990’s, Chicago’s own Sergio Oliva Jr. was making his pro debut on the New York Pro stage, and he was going up against two hometown favorites — Morel and Jon DeLaRosa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifHMzhRSbv4

While the local athletes wanted to defend their home turf, Oliva Jr. left with the title and ring that come with winning the show. DeLaRosa came in second place, and Morel placed third. 

  1. Sergio Oliva Jr.
  2. Jon DeLaRosa
  3. Juan Morel
  4. Luis Rodriguez
  5. Akim Williams
  6. Sasan Heirati
  7. Jeff Beckham
  8. Marek Olejniczak
  9. Marc Arthur Dautruche
  10. Tomas Kaspar
  11. Derek Upshaw

Nathan De Asha (2018)

Going into 2018, the only non-Americans to win the New York Pro were Winklaar and Elssbiay. Nathan De Asha changed that when the British star won the contest. He also won the California Pro that year and placed 8th in the 2018 Olympia, which was championed by the late Shawn Rhoden.

  1. Nathan De Asha
  2. Juan Morel
  3. Justin Rodriguez
  4. Josh Wade
  5. Jon DeLaRosa
  6. Rafael Brandao
  7. Milan Sadek
  8. Lionel Beyeke
  9. Maxx Charles
  10. Akim Williams
  11. Eddie Bracamontes
  12. Brad Rowe
  13. Patrick Moore
  14. Manuel Romero
  15. Dorian Haywood

[Related: Bodybuilders Brett Wilkin and Iain Valliere Tackle a Heavy Quad-Focused Workout]

Iain Valliere (2020)

The pandemic had a hard impact on the world. Bodybuilding had to adjust as a result. The contest was moved to Tampa, FL and was rescheduled from May to September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAsWmSZ6c5g

Morel didn’t compete for the first time since 2012. Since he was the defending champion, a new winner was guaranteed. Iain Valliere scored the victory over Justin Rodriguez, who placed second. Valliere used the momentum from the win to gain a seventh-place finish at the Olympia that year, which was won by Elssbiay.

  1. Iain Valliere
  2. Justin Rodriguez
  3. Jon DeLaRosa
  4. Hassan Mostafa
  5. Maxx Charles
  6. Patrick Moore
  7. Antoine Vaillant
  8. Quinton Eriya
  9. Dwayne Walker
  10. Phil Clahar
  11. Dobromir Delev
  12. Kenneth Jackson
  13. Dorian Haywood
  14. Camilo Diaz Garzon
  15. Jorge Reyes

Nick Walker (2021, 2024-2025)

The New York Pro returned to Tampa in 2021. New bodybuilders Nick Walker and Blessing Awodibu had several exchanges on social media about who was going to beat the other, and it led to the show getting a lot of attention. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nick “the Mutant” Walker (@nick_walker39)

By the time prejudging was over, Walker was the favorite and won the show with straight first-place votes. Justin Rodriguez placed second, and Awodibu placed sixth. Walker went on to win the 2021 Arnold Classic and took fifth in the Olympia two weeks later.

2021

  1. Nick Walker
  2. Justin Rodriguez
  3. Hassan Mostafa
  4. Dorian Haywood
  5. Mohamed El-Emam
  6. Blessing Awodibu
  7. An Nguyen
  8. Morgan Aste
  9. Roy Evans
  10. Camilo Diaz Garzon

Walker went on to win the New York Pro in both 2024 and 2025, becoming the only three-time winner of the event. He’s also the only athlete other than Big Ramy who won the contest two years in a row.

2024

  1. Nick Walker
  2. Martin Fitzwater
  3. Tonio Burton
  4. Stuart Sutherland
  5. Krystian Wolski

2025

  1. Nick Walker
  2. William Bonac
  3. Michal Krizanek
  4. Regan Grimes
  5. Sasan Heirati

Blessing Awodibu (2022) 

The 2022 competition occurred just one week after the Indy Pro in Indianapolis, IN. Blessing Awodibu took home first place in that contest and came to the New York Pro ready to dominate. Sure enough, from prejudging to the last posedown of the night, Awodibu had the contest in the proverbial bag.

  1. Blessing Awodibu
  2. Andrea Presti
  3. Maxx Charles
  4. Theo Leguerrier
  5. Justin Rodriguez
  6. Emir Omeragic
  7. Dorian Haywood
  8. Slavoj Bednar
  9. Douglas Fruchey
  10. Mariusz Tomczuk

sc name=”jump” anchor=”tonio-burton”]Tonio Burton (2023)

At the 2022 Olympia, Tonio Burton finished outside the top 15. He showed up to the stage at the New York Pro with a lot to prove. He was bigger and more symmetrical than he had been at the Olympia, and it showed. Burton took home the victory and earned his opportunity to compete at the Olympia once again, in search of redemption. He wound up cracking the top 10 for an eighth-place finish.

  1. Tonio Burton
  2. Stuart Sutherland 
  3. Josef Kveton
  4. Joe Seeman
  5. Eric Wood
  6. Maxx Charles
  7. Nathan Spear
  8. Robin Strand
  9. Brent Swansen
  10. Mike Hulusi

Featured Image: @nick_walker @w_wittmannphoto @kaigreene / Instagram

About Roger Lockridge

Roger "Rock" Lockridge has been writing professionally for 10 years and has been training for 20. His work in the fitness industry has been seen in numerous outlets and has been a part of coverage for several events including the Mr. Olympia, Arnold Classic, the CrossFit Games, and the Olympics. He's also shared his own personal success story in several interviews and articles. Lockridge lives in West Virginia with his wife and son.

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