As we head into August, bodybuilding fans and enthusiasts alike are looking forward to the much anticipated 2017 Olympia event in Las Vegas, Nevada! Taking place from September 14 to 17, the Mr. Olympia contest and expo is sure to bring fans from all across the globe for what should be one of the most competitive match-ups we have seen in a while on the main stage.
With Cedric McMillan winning this year’s Arnold Classic and looking better with his signature conditioning and aesthetic appeal, can Phil Heath continue his reign of dominance and become a 7-time Mr. Olympia 2017 winner? And I personally think that Phil heath becomes Mr. Olympia 2017 winner is Or will the tides turn as we’re starting to see a slight favor towards a more “classic” look and have the judges sway their opinion towards McMillan? With about 3 months left for contest prep, it should be exciting to follow everyone into the contest stage and see if history can be made.
Anything can happen leading up to Mr. Olympia and there is a line-up of great competitors able to score an upset on contest night. Big Ramy is looking freakishly huge with recent footage of him, walking at around 320 pounds in the offseason! Dexter “The Blade” Jackson is always prime to take an upset placing with his consistency with being in shape on contest night and remains a threat - even at the age of 47.
And of course, the big talk this year is the Olympia debut of Sergio Olivia Jr., who is none other than the son of 3x Mr. Olympia winner Sergio “The Myth” Olivia. Can we have the first 2nd generation IFBB bodybuilder win the entire Olympia? It is a long shot, to say the least for this year, but it will be interesting to see how Olivia Jr. gets ready for the stage and time will tell whether he has what it takes to be a future champion.
| NAME | COUNTRY |
| Beyeke, Lionel | France |
| Bonac, William | Netherlands |
| Curry, Brandon | USA |
| De Asha, Nathan | United Kingdom |
| Elssbiay, Mamdouh | Egypt |
| Heath, Phil | USA |
| Jackson, Dexter | USA |
| Jackson, Johnnie | USA |
| Martinez, Victor | Dominican Republic |
| McMillan, Cedric | USA |
| Oliva Jr., Sergio | USA |
| Osladil, Lukas | Czech Republic |
| Rhoden, Shawn | USA |
| Williams, Gerald | USA |
| Winklaar, Roelly | Curacao |
Coverage of Mr. Olympia will also feature the 212 division, which has a roster of seasoned vets set to make a competitive line-up this year! Flex Lewis is the reigning 5 x 212 Olympia and will surely be tough to dethrone with his dominating size and conditioning set forth every Olympia contest. With the 2017 Arnold Classic casting a few surprises in this division earlier this year, Ahmad Ashkanani is in a position to create even more upsets when he faces Flex Lewis onstage in September.
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| NAME | COUNTRY |
| Ashkanani, Ahmad | Kuwait |
| Choopan, Hadi | Iran |
| Correa, Eduardo | Brazil |
| Dixon, Charles | USA |
| Henry, David | USA |
| Lewis, Flex | United Kingdom |
| Raymond, Jose | USA |
| Rockell, Ronny | Germany |
| Sadek, Milan | Czech Republic |
The Fitness Olympia always puts on a great show in Las Vegas, and Oksana Grishina has won the past 3 Fitness Olympia titles in convincing fashion. Despite being 39 years old, age has not slowed her down and we here at Muscle Mecca predict that Oksana will be a likely 4x Fitness Olympia champion this year.
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| NAME | COUNTRY |
| Da Silva, Regiane | Germany |
| Foroni, Giorgia | Italy |
| Grishina, Oksana | Russia |
| Johnson, Tanji | USA |
| Jones, Whitney | USA |
| Kendall-Williams, Sally | USA |
| Khadr, Ariel | USA |
| Pajunen, Piia | Finland |
| Wagner, Bethany | USA |
Who doesn’t love seeing these ladies onstage?! Though there is a wide talent pool of qualified competitors, Latoya Watts brings a package of perfect shape, symmetry, and one of the most impressive v-tapers we have ever seen in the division that will be hard to stop her from winning the title a 4th time. What do you think guys and gals - does anyone have a chance of beating Latoya?
| NAME | COUNTRY |
| Calhoun, Andrea | USA |
| Dees, Heather | USA |
| De La Rosa, Swann | USA |
| Fortino, Wendy | USA |
| Garcia, Maria | Spain |
| Gillon, Cydney | USA |
| Grajales, Sandra | Mexico |
| Hammermeister, Stephanie | USA |
| Ivusic, Ivana | USA |
| Jordan, Marlissa | USA |
| Lewis Carter, Candice | USA |
| Martineau, Laurelle | USA |
| Ondrejovicova, Adela | Slovakia |
| Pollard, Andrea | USA |
| Reyes Padilla, Jessica | Puerto Rico |
| Soltero, Natalia | Mexico |
| Watts, Latorya | USA |
| Wilkins, Nicole | USA |
| Yabekova, Martina | Canada |
| Zabavina, Natalia | Russia |
With the continuing growth of the sport & more people interested in competing, the Olympia will be featuring more divisions than ever before. Not only will Men’s Physique be featured, but we also have:
It will definitely be a long weekend of competition in this year’s iteration of the Olympia. As in years past, the main contest stage will be held at the Orleans Arena with the official hotel venue being the Orleans Hotel (off-strip). Book now if you haven’t already - from my past experience, the Orleans gets fully booked by around July!
The Olympia experience wouldn’t be complete without going to the Olympia Expo, so be sure to check that out too! Featuring not only bodybuilding and physique, but the expo is also packed with contests such as powerlifting, strongman, and even jiu-jitsu. As with every year at the expo, they will also be featuring the “Male Model Search” in which you can win an exclusive contract with a media company by showing up at the expo and proving that you have what it takes to be the next big-time model. Details can be found on the Mr. Olympia website.
By the way, if you want to get your seat to watch the real muscles show, grab your ticket today here
Muscle Mecca signing off for now. We’ll be keeping you posted with continual updates on the Olympia and be providing you coverage as we get closer to September. As always, keep training hard and work on becoming the best version of what you want to be in the gym!
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We are here to check out the best, these Athaletic's have put everything into this. Can't wait.
Dan and Carla Summers NPC judges