{"id":6738,"date":"2026-01-10T02:45:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T02:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=6738"},"modified":"2026-01-10T02:45:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T02:45:32","slug":"chris-cormier-addresses-pmma-controversy-after-viral-instagram-post-on-the-menace-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=6738","title":{"rendered":"Chris Cormier Addresses PMMA Controversy After Viral Instagram Post on ‘The Menace Podcast’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Episode 267 of \u201cThe Menace Podcast,\u201d<\/a> host Dennis James wanted to get to the bottom of a controversial image that regular guest Chris Cormier shared on his Instagram account, depicting himself in a Godfather style pose with four-time Olympia Women\u2019s Physique Champion, Sarah Villegas behind him. What got people\u2019s attention was the fact that there was a fake bottle of PMMA placed out in front of them. But why?<\/p>\n

The existence of the mocked-up bottle of PMMA was obviously a nod to recent controversies in the sport of bodybuilding. The 2025 Mr Olympia, Derek Lunsford had to deny usage of the muscle filler, while 2025 Olympia runner-up, Sarah Villegas raised what she says were hypothetical comments after losing her title to Natalia Coelho<\/a>. On the November 27, 2025 episode of Prime Time Muscle, Chris Cormier expressed his own concerns about athletes chasing muscle fullness by any means<\/a>, leading to the suggestive image.<\/p>\n

Denis James Presses Chris Cormier on \u201cPMMA\u201d Image<\/h2>\n

\u201cSarah\u2019s whole thing was only to put shade on Natalia because she got beat,\u201d suggested James. \u201cI think there\u2019s no other reason,\u201d he added, attempting to make sense of the situation. In response, Cormier said that the image was not specifically about Natalia. \u201cI just want to say first of all, Natalia, to me was [in] crazy condition, she had some of the best posing of the contest,\u201d responded Cormier. \u201cShe was the winner of the competition. I don\u2019t want to take anything away from that. I just want to get that out of the way, because I know she don\u2019t deserve that (shade).\u201d<\/p>\n

Cormier further explained that he never intends to take shots at individual athletes, but he does feel a responsibility to raise the issue of fillers, because he has seen young bodybuilder\u2019s damage their bodies by messing with substances that they should be staying away from. \u201cIt\u2019s really sensitive to me, this whole thing,\u201d said Cormier. \u201cIt\u2019s not about what we did in the 90s, it\u2019s about what we walked away from, what we learned. In the 90s, we tried to convey that to the next generation. It\u2019s not about \u2018oh, did something, he did something.\u2019 It\u2019s not about that for me, but it\u2019s a sensitive subject because I want to see us go from this journey, our fitness journey, and walk out of this thing unscathed, as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

To watch the full conversation, where Dennis James quizzed Cormier further on his decision to collab on the Instagram post, plus the gang discussing other current bodybuilding news, see below.<\/p>\n