The 2026 FIBO lineup consists of roughly a half a dozen guys with only one known name, Sasan Heirati, in the lineup. Sas is a well-known Iranian bodybuilder known for his tremendous work ethic and his ability to bring a tremendous amount of muscle, coupled with impressive vascularity to the stage. It’s great that the contest will have at least one somewhat popular competitor, but why not others? Sas is a pretty big deal in Persian and Arabic circles. He gets mobbed wherever he goes by screaming fans who want him to sign autographs, take selfies with them, and just talk to them. The guy is a legit heavy hitter so it’s a good thing that he is going to be in the mix, but why not other guys? I mean listen folks, this contest is an IFBB Pro League show. Whoever wins it, has a qualification to the 2026 Mr Olympia so you have a big stage, an Olympia qualification, the opportunity to win some prize money and it’s one of the biggest expos in the world.
FIBO is on the same level as the Arnold Classic and the Olympia Expo. This is a really big deal yet its pro contest has only seven guys? And it’s not just seven guys, there’s only one guy who’s a household name. This is not to throw shade at the other six guys because they are professional bodybuilders, they did prepare for the contest, and they’re probably going to give it their all, but something is off. Something is definitely off. Because we should see a lot of big names wanting to win this title so that they can then have a road to the Olympia. This is one of the earliest opportunities to achieve that yet there’s only one somewhat big name in the show? That’s just plain weird. But let’s break it down a little bit more because there are other shows that are also underperforming and I would say they are underperforming for different reasons.
Before we delve into why this contest may or may not be underperforming, I think it’s important to note that the Top 10 guys in the world are not going to compete somewhere like this for one glaring reason. When you have a show with only one or two somewhat known guys accompanied by a roster of unknowns, it looks like low hanging fruit. A competitor like Martin Fitzwater or Nick Walker is not going to throw their name into the mix even if it is an easy win just because it’s not a win they want. In other words, these are guys that are banging on the door of the Mr. Olympia. These are guys that have been in the Top 6 and who command tremendous respect with have huge fan bases. It would look very weak of them to go to a show and wipe the floor with guys no one has ever heard of just to get an Olympia qualification. At the end of the day, when you are on top, everything you do is scrutinized by the media and by the fans. It would almost look like bullying on a certain level or maybe like easy money.
Now easy money is money just the same, right? But to be real, if you are a serious competitor who is in contention to winning the Olympia or the Arnold Classic or the New York Pro, and you go to a crappy show and win it just to win it, you don’t really inspire a tremendous amount of confidence in your abilities as an elite level professional. Top guys like to beat top guys. If top guys go after low hanging fruit, then people start to doubt whether or not they are in fact a top competitor. I know it sounds like an utter bunch of bullshit, but there’s a lot of truth to this.
And I hate to call FIBO low-hanging fruit but when you have seven guys, six of which no one’s ever heard of, it’s basically a crappy show. And that’s really sad to say because of the fact that they have such a huge expo that’s known all around the world and that draws pretty much everybody in the sport. There are other shows like the Detroit Pro that have a who’s who of heavy hitters as promoters yet doesn’t draw any top talent. It’s usually one or two guys that are big names and then everybody else is just cannon fodder. That’s not a good look.
Top guys are not going to compete there and if they have in the past, it’s unlikely they will return. This speaks directly to points made by other media outlets that say why didn’t Nick compete there or why didn’t Martin compete there. This is why. They’re too big to compete at a show against guys no one has ever heard of. They might get the Olympia qualification but they’re also going to get a lot of blowback from the media because it almost looks like it shouldn’t be allowed. It’s just a very low point for them just to get qualified. If someone like Martin or Nick wants to compete they have to look at stages like New York or Pittsburgh or maybe Dubai but not a show like this. That said, there are guys that are in the Top 20 or maybe Top 30 who could definitely be in the mix but have chosen not to be and that is a question that I think the promoters of this contest need to give some serious thought to.
Something else that doesn’t make any sense is the fact that the Federation has made the bold decision of reducing the number of pro shows to ensure that what happened this year at FIBO doesn’t happen again. In other words, there are less opportunities to get Olympia qualifications so that would then mean that the demand would be higher, right? Less shows, means that people need to work harder to qualify at existing shows. But then how do you explain the underperformance of this contest? The Federation also scrapped the points system some years ago and has not used the special invite since it was given to Derek a few years ago. I personally think the special invite is a free meal ticket and have never been a fan of it, but I am happy to say that it has become less and less used. So between less pro shows, no points system, no special invites, you would think that demand would be through the roof. So why is this show doing so poorly? Could it possibly be about prize money? I have no idea what FIBO pays, but perhaps that is the main culprit because it just doesn’t make any sense. Huge expo, tons of fans, tons of companies, and no one of substance really to compete in this pro show? That doesn’t make any sense.
I mean I think it’s safe to say that Sas is going to win this contest. I mean this is a guy who was battling it out with William Bonac, who took a number of second places in deep lineups. I don’t know if he has ever competed at the Olympia but if he hasn’t, he will this year. I don’t think anybody is going to beat him. Now that being said, there might be a totally unknown prodigy or mass monster or genetic freak within this mix that I’ve never heard of. And maybe he will win and establish himself on the bodybuilding scene. Or maybe it’ll just be what we think it’s going to be, Sas winning it all and it being an extremely boring show to watch. I mean for a guy like Sas who has competed against the best, it might be uninspiring to come in at 100% against half a dozen no-names who he could probably beat at 90%. What should also be noted is that this is a huge disservice to the fans. Imagine spending big money to go to a bodybuilding contest and not see anybody up there that you recognize. Maybe the one guy, but everybody else is a complete stranger.
Would you want to spend your hard-earned money on a contest like that? Would you want to spend top dollar to sit in the front row to see a semi known guy battle it out against half a dozen guys that you wouldn’t know from a hole in the wall? Again this contest needs to analyze every aspect of its planning and execution to ensure that this does not happen again in 2027, 2028, or in the future. I don’t think that the Federation could do any more than what it has done to help contests garner the interest of competitors. Whatever happens at the show, this is an embarrassing year for FIBO and professional bodybuilding. I simply am at a loss for words at why this contest has shaped up the way that it has. It’s almost like a free Olympia qualification for Sas and cause for pause in the future. The fact that the point system is gone is great and all, but the idea that somebody can qualify for the Olympia at a show with this few competitors and so many no names, is quite frankly very concerning.
Why do you think the FIBO Pro show is so weak? Why do you think so many big names avoided it? The hope with my article is not to throw shade at any promoters or any contests, rather, it’s to inspire a higher level of work ethic and productivity. The Olympia is the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. Every single individual that gets to that stage should deserve to be there. The Olympia was always supposed to be champions versus champions, but I can hardly take the champion of this contest seriously. Sorry, not sorry.
As always 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 is guaranteed 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.
