by Christian Duque
Shaun Clarida is $16,000 richer and has won another open bodybuilding title for his mantle. This victory makes him eligible to compete at the 2026 Mr. Olympia, but it also speaks to a point pushed by former Olympia Top 6 legend Lee Priest who doesn’t believe there should be a 212 Bodybuilding Division to begin with. We’ll talk about the 2025 IFBB Pro League Japan Pro that Clarida won, further cementing his position as The Giant Killer. Some fans have floated the idea that Shaun will compete at the open Olympia in 2026 and then retire – a notion I find to be preposterous; however, we’ll talk about it all in this action-packed article right here at IronMag!
For starters, I’d like to congratulate my friend Shaun Clarida on another big win for his already impressive resume. Not too long ago, Shaun was very much an underdog. I can still remember a time when even suggesting Shaun could be Top 3 at the 212 Olympia Showdown was met with disbelief. There were long shots, and then there was Shaun. It’s not that Shaun didn’t have a good physique, it’s just that he was on the smaller end of an already small division.
The 212 is for guys that are usually a lot lighter but also a lot shorter than the open contenders. Shaun never touched 200 lbs and the fact is he was not considered somebody that could be a top guy, just removed him from many predictions. Anytime his name came up in conversation a lot of times it was met with either disbelief or he would immediately get written off. When he started placing in the money, people started to take notice. But then the question of him winning became almost like a no-go. Then he started winning but then the idea of him competing in the open was almost laughable to most. Then when he beat guys that were over 100 pounds heavier in top form, people started to warm up to the idea that he could be an open bodybuilding contender for major titles.
Clarida is a bodybuilder that has overcome tremendous adversity and has always come out on top. He is known for ridiculous condition, tremendous muscularity, and really working hard on whatever stage he steps foot on. This is because he is somebody that does not take no for an answer. He’s also not somebody that rests on his laurels. Even when he won his two Olympia titles, he was always thinking about the future. He was never one for procrastinating and he definitely never complained. Therefore congratulations are in store.
The 2025 Japan Pro was no cakewalk. Shaun’s primary competition came from Florian Antoine Gilles Poirson, who really hit the stage all systems go. Florian really works the stage and has been known to get high marks from the judges for his very detail-oriented presentation of the muscle. He also is much bigger than Shaun (as was everyone else) but size doesn’t matter to a guy known as The Giant Killer. Another guy who got a lot of attention from the media was Joan Pradells. Many thought that if anyone would stop The Giant Killer in the land of the rising sun, it would have been Pradells.
Me, personally, I didn’t think anyone was going to stop Shaun if he came in condition. I get it, Shaun isn’t going to win any height contests and he is on the lighter end – even of the 212 – but his mastery of the mandatory poses enables him to really turn the tables on the competition. He knows where to stand, what sides to show, and even though the mandatories call for strict adherence, GK knows how to outangle the competition without falling into the goofing-off category like poor Andrew Jacked did at this past Mr. O.
With Clarida you get a very dangerous competitor who knows what not to do, but how to do it when the time is right. It’s not cheating, it’s called knowing the sport like the back of your hand. It’s how a guy that gives up numerous inches and as much as 100lbs can still draw more eyes than the mass giants who think they can trounce on him.
The Japan Pro had some solid talent, but Shaun was better. 5th place finisher Marc Hector looked very good and a case can be made that 4th and 5th could have switched order. That said, Jan Turek looked very sharp, especially from the side poses. I think everyone in the Top 5 deserved to be there and the promoter gave the fans a great show to watch.
For those who couldn’t be at the contest, seeing the coverage was also a treat. Photos and videos just don’t lie. No one on the inter webs has sounded off that GK didn’t deserve the win. We didn’t see that at the now well-known Reno Sports Fest where Shaun bested a very impressive Sergio Oliva Jr and a massive Regan Grimes some years ago, either. There, Grimes towered over Clarida and outweighed him substantially, but he was just no match. And as much as guys like Florian, Joan, and Jan looked, they fell short in Japan like Grimes and Oliva did in Reno did in Japan. This is because a shorter, lighter guy can beat a taller, heavier guy in bodybuilding. And that’s because it’s neither a height or weight contest.
This takes us to the point pushed by Lee Priest regarding the future of The 212 as a division. Should it be scrapped? I mean if guys like Shaun can win open shows, then it stands to reason that there’s no need for a second pro bodybuilding division, right? Well, not so fast. Back in Lee’s day there was no 212. Nonetheless, he was able to get Top 6 in the open. And back in those days, the Open was a lot more conditioned and a lot bigger than it is today. Am I saying bodybuilding was better then? Well, it was a different era and it was more difficult – yes. That said, Lee was the exception. Guys like him, maybe Hide, and maybe David Henry could have pulled something like that off, but I would argue most of the others at that height and weight could not. That’s, of course, a debatable point.
Most of what we talk about in physique-based sports is subjective. That said, I’d argue that The 212 (like The 202 before it) serves an important function for guys who are significantly lighter than the open guys and need a place to compete. Most of the 212 guys couldn’t see the kind of success Shaun does. But why not?
I don’t know why not, I just do. Guys like Shaun are genetic freaks, but they’re also workhorses. So the question is “who wants it more?” If that’s the question, I don’t really have an answer for you. I get where Lee is coming from and I don’t have any counterpoints that would totally win the debate, but while The 212 is here, I think guys like Shaun will dominate.
Sadly, however, it’s not a division that’s doing too well. The Arnold got rid of it when Flex Lewis retired and has never brought it back. The prize money – even at the O – pales significantly in comparison to the open, even though it’s a bodybuilding division. The 212 offers a lot of guys that would otherwise not have a shot in the open to compete, a place where they can at least conceivably have a shot. The problem is, how many fans actually want to see that? And how many promoters want to offer a division that’s rather boring to watch? Lee isn’t saying something that a lot of us aren’t thinking. The Top 5 of the 212 Olympia Showdown is a real show to catch! The rest of the division is somewhat dying on the vine.
So will Shaun do the open Olympia in 2026 or the 212 Olympia Showdown? Can he do both? I think that it’s too premature to debate this and I highly doubt the champ will make his decision known this early, either. More than likely, however, I see him trying for his 3rd 212 Olympia title. If I were him, I’d go that route instead of potentially going for Top 6 in the open.
Will Shaun retire in 2026? That’s just silly to me. Why would a guy who’s winning open bodybuilding shows against top guys like Jan Turek and Marc Hector, retire? If he retires, that’s one thing, but he’s not old, he’s not injured, and he’s winning OPEN shows while technically a 212 guy. I think the slightest suggestion of retirement is nothing short of clickbait by these big outlets. They need the hits and they’ll do just about anything for shock value. There’s no reason for Shaun to even contemplate retirement.
So what did you think of the 2025 IFBB Pro League Japan Pro? What do you think Shaun will do in the future? As always, thank you for 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 guaranteed to generate lively conversation.