With the lackluster FIBO Pro now in the books, bodybuilding fans look to the next big show on the pro circuit, this weekend’s 2026 Arnold Classic Brazil. And guess what? From the looks of the lineup, it seems that Blessing Awodibu might be going to the 2026 Olympia!! This is huge news, especially now that Sasan Heirati is qualified. Sas won the FIBO Pro last week against half a dozen pro bodybuilders no one ever heard of and it seems Blessing may get a W in similar fashion.
The Arnold Brazil’s lineup consists of seven top Brazilian pro’s. They are David Adriano Justino Da Silva, Trindade Alexandre, Wellington Baptista, Andre Cariao, Davi Flex Jr, Alan Ramiro Bonadiman, Leandro Sencini Peres, and of course Jose William Junior. Who’s Jose William Junior? Your guess is as good as mine. Then of course there’s legendary South African bodybuilder Sibusiso Kotelo. I’m saying he’s legendary, but is he? No offense, but I’m not familiar with Sibusiso. I’m sure he gets mobbed in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but I don’t know him from a hole in the wall. Of the ten competitors on the pro bodybuilding lineup, the only name that I recognize is Blessing Awodibu and no offense to him, but he’s never placed in the either the Olympia or Arnold Classic (USA) Top 6 that I’m aware of. He did win the NY Pro and the Indiana Pro back in 2022, but according to a Google search, those are his best wins. And those are good wins to have, but he’s the only guy out of the dozen with those type of credentials. I did searches on several of the other guys and even Google/AI didn’t recognize them. I’m not kidding.
Is this really the best the Arnold Classic came up with for its Brazilian offshoot? It’s not only sad, but it begs the question of whether or not we have too many pro shows. Brazil is a hotbed of bodybuilding and fitness, but what fan is going to want to pay top dollar to see Blessing wipe the floor with ten or eleven scrubs? Even if these guys gave 120%, are any of them going to be able to hold a candle to a former New York Pro champion?
The pecking order is Olympia, Arnold USA, and NY Pro. These guys might be newly minted pro’s that are essentially cannon fodder. When I first saw the lineup, a part of me thought the contest was made for Blessing to get an easy win. That or maybe that none of the top guys want to compete there. The reality of the matter is that Top 6 Olympians aren’t looking for an easy win. They have a reputation to uphold and if they go to the Olympia, they want to ride some kind of a wave. Qualifying by winning a show like this or the FIBO Pro doesn’t get you any respect. Maybe you’ll respect them, but i know I won’t. And to those who say it doesn’t matter how you get to the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding as long as you get there, I say, I couldn’t disagree more!! I even chuckled at NIck Miller’s video title “Can Blessing Win the Arnold Brazil?”
Yes Nick, he most certainly CAN win it. The only way he couldn’t win it is if an Earthbound meteor struck the contest venue and fell on top of The Boogieman. Otherwise, it’s not a question of can he win it, but how badly will he wipe the floor with these other guys.
When I looked up Trindade Alexandre, Google thought I was looking up a kickboxer named Michael Trindade. It didn’t even suggest a bodybuilder by that name. Davi Flex Jr’s best win was second place in Classic at the wildly competitive 2025 Dominican Republic Pro. It was an all about battle against NIcaragua’s Rodni Nelson Hebbert. To be honest, I’ve never heard of Davi or Rodni. The only Rodni’s I’ve heard are Rodney King and Rodney Dangerfield. Then I looked up Wellington Baptista. Ole Wellington was one of nine no-names, who took second to Behrooz Tabani at the 2023 Arnold Classic Brazil. I wonder how many times this scenario has played out where one somewhat known guy goes to a show like this and defeats a group of guys that show up to take a beating. It’s similar to watching WWF as a kid and seeing guys like Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man fight guys like the Moon Dogs – essentially scrubs they beat up to fill-up a cable tv show. If you wanted to see Hogan fight Andre The Giant or Big John Stud, you had to get PPV. That’s what the Arnold Classic Brazil feels like. The idea that Leandro Sencini Peres, who took 8th at the 2026 Detroit Pro, could beat Blessing is silly. This is nothing against Leandro or the other guys, but the fact is when I see Arnold Classic – be it Brazil, UK, or USA, I expect a lot more. A LOT MORE!!
Should a guy who wins a show like this year’s FIBO Pro or Arnold Classic Brazil get to share the stage with Andrew Jacked, Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda and Derek Lunsford? Apparently so, but it seems to really water down the competition at the O. I suspect that Blessing would get a lot more competition from Top 10 nationally-ranked NPC competitors in the United States than from the pros he’ll be facing at the Arnold Classic Brazil this weekend. And that’s just it, I’m not trying to be funny and I’m not exaggerating. If I’m lying, I’m dying. It’s just the facts – simple and plain. I’d eagerly take on anyone for a healthy debate, but you know I’m right. When you have a group of guys you have to Google, you’re not dealing with a premier contest. So why do those unknown guys even bother trying? What’s in it for them?
The reason that no-names compete is for the off-chance that maybe they catch the eye of a Nick’s Strength and Power or a Muscle Discord. This article, right here, might provide them an additional Google hit that they otherwise wouldn’t have. I’m sad that the article isn’t one praising their aesthetics, mass, or posing abilities. Unfortunately, their names are coming up because they’re essentially like those poor punching bags I used to watch as a kid on WWF cable television. How’s that old saying go? Any press, is good press? Well, that may be so, but in this case I think not. It does pain me to name drop these guys, but it’s a valid point that needs to be made.
If I could say anything to Arnold Schwarzenegger or the folks who run his Brazil show, it would simply be two words: DO BETTER. This lineup is for the birds. And unlike NIck Miller who has to put out content daily and has to find ways to make it engaging and interesting, I don’t have to do that. Here, at IronMag. I have the luxury of being able to be brutally honest. This show sucks. Blessing will undoubtedly “win,” but winning a show like this would make me feel like a loser. This is why top guys don’t qualify at crappy shows. In fact, they might even rather sitting-out the Olympia than being seen at a bullshit show – let alone winning it.
Am I being too critical? Is there even such a thing? Ultimately, the opinion that matters most to me is yours, so what say you? I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
