2020 Mr. Olympia Predictions and Athlete Assessment

Please expect our 2020 Mr. Olympia Results and Recap article along with a shareable infographic to be published shortly after the conclusion of the competition.

The 2020 Mr. Olympia contest will take place on December 18-19th, 2020 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This will be the 56th Mr. Olympia contest which began in 1965. Because of all the restrictions on holding a large spectator event due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the promoters of the Mr. Olympia decided to move the event from Las Vegas, Nevada to Florida only 5 weeks before the scheduled date in December. 

The big news this year for the Mr. Olympia is the return of 7x champion Phil Heath to the stage. Phil took off last year from competing due to a hernia surgery that he needed to have. This was the first year that Phil has not competed since he began competing 16 years ago in 2003. If Phil is able to win the title again this year, he will be tied with Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman as the all-time Mr. Olympia title winner with eight wins. 

In the Classic Physique Olympia, there is another showdown brewing between the reigning champion Chris Bumstead and 2x Classic Physique Olympia winner Breon Ansley. These two Olympia champs have been so close over the last two years with Breon beating Chris in 2018 by one point and then Chris defeating Breon last year, again by one point. Both men are hungry for a win so it should be an epic showdown. 

Below are our predictions for the Top Six Placings at the 2020 Mr. Olympia and Classic Physique Olympia divisions:

2020 Classic Physique Olympia

6. Dani Younan

Dani has the type of physique that is perfect for Classic Physique. He has a small waist, good symmetry and balance and excellent conditioning. In last year’s line-up of 35 competitors, Dani placed seventh, just missing that top six. With another year of hard training, Dani has a great chance to make the finals especially considering the absence of George Peterson and Keone Pearson. 

5. Terrence Ruffin

Terrence is one of the best physiques competing in the Classic Physique division. He has a very aesthetic physique and has been adding quality muscle to his frame every year. Terrence took off from competing last year to make improvements to his physique and it paid off with a close runner-up spot at the 2020 Arnold Classic. 

Terrence is also one of the best posers currently competing in bodybuilding. His routines are artistic and well thought out, reminiscent of the Golden Age of Bodybuilding. With the improvements in his physique and his classic style of posing, Terrence should finally make the top five at the Classic Physique Olympia.

4. Bryan Jones

Bryon made some waves this year when he won the 2020 Chicago Pro Classic Physique. He has a massive but still very aesthetic physique that blew away the competition for a convincing win. 

Bryan is a new pro, receiving his professional status after winning the 2018 NPC USA Classic Physique overall.

He has excellent leg development and good muscle mass overall. These attributes along with his good structure and excellent conditioning should put him near that top this year at the Classic Physique Olympia.

3. Alex Cambronero

After placing in the top six in the 2019 Classic Physique Olympia in his first year in the division, Alex won the Arnold Classic earlier this year. Alex is a former 212 competitor and he competed in the Olympia several times in that division. However, his small waist and superb conditioning makes him a natural for the Classic Physique division. 

Alex has many strengths to his physique, particularly his great V-taper accentuated by a tiny waistline. He looks great standing relaxed and in the mandatory poses.

If Alex brings the same conditioning that won him the Arnold Classic this year, he could make the top three at the Classic Physique Olympia.

2. Chris Bumstead

Chris is one of the most popular bodybuilders in the world today. His tall, aesthetic and massive physique is admired by both men and women everywhere. Chris made great improvements last year to win his first Classic Physique Olympia and defeat the reigning champ Breon Ansley who was also considerably improved from the year before. 

 The strong points of Chris’s physique include great leg development, an outstanding vacuum pose and a wide, tall structure that is perfect for the Classic Physique division. He won the Olympia in 2019 by displaying fantastic conditioning on an improved physique. 

The odds are always with the defending champ so it will be very hard to beat an improved Chris Bumstead. However, Chris still needs to improve his back thickness and density and he could use bigger arms to balance out his wide physique. Chris and Breon have only been one point apart for the last two years so this year’s decision will probably come down to the wire again. 

1. Breon Ansley

Can Breon do the impossible and win the Classic Physique Olympia title back from Bumstead? This was accomplished only once in Olympia history when the reigning Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler came back to win the title in 2009 after losing to Dexter Jackson the year before. However, Breon could pull it off just like Jay did.

 Breon took the loss to Chris very hard last year. He knew that he made improvements to his physique and he was already the two time champion. That stinging defeat made Breon more hungry and he developed a game plan for 2020 that would allow him to take the Sandow trophy back.

Ever since the 2019 Classic Physique Olympia ended, Breon has been training with a vengeance with the goal of winning his title back. His coach Chris Cormier worked with Breon to design a game plan for winning the 2020 Classic Physique Olympia. They have even been working on his posing to make Breon look more competitive with Chris in the mandatory poses and to excel in his free posing presentation.

He has been posting training and posing pictures and videos on his social media almost every day in preparation for the big day.

Breon’s physique and his attitude have that winning vibe and it’s very possible that Breon Ansley will be the 3x Classic Physique Olympia champion when the dust settles. 

2020 Mr. Olympia 

6. Hunter Labrada

The most impressive professional rookie bodybuilder this year was Hunter Labrada. Hunter is the son of one of the most famous bodybuilders of the 1990’s, Lee Labrada. Lee won multiple pro shows and placed second in the Mr. Olympia twice in 1989 and 1990. 

Hunter shares many of the same physique characteristics of his father but he’s much bigger. Lee Labrada was 5’5” and 180 pounds while Hunter is 5’9” and close to 250 pounds. When Hunter won his first professional show at the 2020 Tampa Pro, he displayed great size and good shape along with superb conditioning. 

Most pros who enter their first Mr. Olympia don’t place in the top ten. However, Hunter is not most pros. His condition was perfect at the Tampa Pro and thanks to the Olympia being held in December this year, Hunter has had more time to prepare for this contest and he has made significant improvements since that win. 

Look for Hunter Labrada to bypass many veteran professional bodybuilders in his first Mr. Olympia and place in the top six. This year’s Mr. Olympia is stacked with talent but Hunter has the physique and the winning attitude to make the top six in his Olympia debut.

5. Mamdouh Elssbiay “Big Ramy”

Big Ramy is always the big question mark every year at the Mr. Olympia. He has so much size that he could potentially win the title outright if he comes in great condition. The problem with Big Ramy is his lack of conditioning when he steps onstage. 

Ramy was in great shape when he took third place this year at the Arnold Classic. His conditioning was much improved and he looked like he could have won the contest if he would have been just a little bit harder. 

Ramy has been working with coach Chad Nichols who promises that Big Ramy will be ready to win this year with the conditioning they are going to bring to the Olympia. He has been in the United States for several weeks already so he doesn’t have to worry about not being able to fly in because of the pandemic. The only question is how ripped and big will he be on contest day. 

If Big Ramy comes into the Olympia in top shape, his overwhelming size and proportions should propel him into the top five. If Ramy really nails his conditioning, he could potentially win the contest but we’ll have to wait and see. 

4. Hadi Choopan

The surprise competitor of the 2019 Mr. Olympia was Hadi Choopan from Iran. Hadi moved up from the 212 division to the open and went right to the top by competing in the Mr. Olympia. It was the first time an American audience had the chance to see Hadi in person and they were very impressed. 

 Hadi has great size and conditioning and he out muscled most of the competition despite his shorter stature. His deep abdominals, massive quads and huge arms and shoulders were enough to have many fans saying he should have won the contest last year. 

Hadi’s weak point was his back poses. If he can make improvements to this weak area while bringing the same conditioning and hardness, Hadi should be right at the top again at this year’s Mr. Olympia contest. 

3. William Bonac

William has been one of the best competitors on the pro scene over the last few years. He has won the Arnold Classic twice (2018 and 2020) and he was second in the Mr. Olympia last year. His combination of size and density makes him a very tough competitor and he should be right at the top again this year at the Mr. Olympia. 

The only weakness on William is his short stature with a structure that is somewhat smaller than the top competitors. He makes up for this by displaying excellent muscle mass and extremely hard conditioning.

At the 2019 Arnold, William was in superb condition despite losing to the winner Brandon Curry. His condition was a little less at the Mr. Olympia later that year but he still placed second to Curry again.

This year, William won the Arnold Classic for a second time, defeating top competitors like Big Ramy, Dexter Jackson and Roelly Winklaar. With this momentum behind him, expect to see William Bonec in the top three again this year at the 2020 Mr. Olympia. 

2. Brandon Curry

Brandon is the reigning Mr. Olympia after winning the title in 2019. His great overall structure and massive size dominated the line-up and allowed him to bring home the coveted Sandow trophy. 

Brandon received some criticism after the show saying he could have been in better condition and he won the title because 2018 Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden and Phil Heath were not in the contest. Brandon took these critiques to heart and has vowed to be much improved for this year’s Olympia. 

Brandon has been relocating to Kuwait every year for the last few years to work with his coach and focus completely on his preparation. The sacrifice has paid off and Brandon has been able to achieve his great potential and is now the reigning Mr. Olympia. 

Brandon could win the Mr. Olympia again this year if he makes improvements over last year’s physique. He will face a great challenge with the return of seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath in the contest but, to Brandon’s credit, he welcomes the challenge and promises to bring a new, improved Brandon Curry to the stage. 

Number 1 Spot Prediction is… Phil Heath!

Phil will go down in history as one of the best bodybuilders in the history of the sport. He has won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, tying Arnold Schwarzenegger. Only Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney have won more Mr. Olympia titles than Phil. If he can win the contest this year, he will be right up there with Ronnie and Lee and be tied for the most amount of wins. 

Phil lost the Mr. Olympia to Shawn Rhoden in 2018 because his stomach was not in top condition, especially compared to Shawn’s incredible washboard abdominals. After his loss, Phil underwent hernia surgery to repair a hernia that was causing the stomach issues. 

Phil needed extensive rest after his surgery and he decided to sit out the Mr. Olympia last year. This was the first layoff he has taken since he started competing in 2003. He is back and ready to win another title so he can make history by tying the record. 

When Phil Heath is in top condition, he is extremely difficult to beat. His combination of full muscle bellies, incredible separation and extreme hardness has made him unbeatable in seven consecutive Mr. Olympia contests.

Phil is a true professional and he knows exactly what he has to do to win another Mr. Olympia contest. He realizes that his stomach problem is what cost him his last Mr. Olympia decision so he is sure to have the issue fixed before he steps onstage again. 

Phil Heath is one of the most determined competitors to ever enter the Mr. Olympia contest. His fierce desire to win along with his amazing physique is going to propel him to another Mr. Olympia victory. The last time the Mr. Olympia was held in Orlando, Florida when Lee Haney won his eighth Olympia title. Will history repeat itself in 2020 when Phil Heath attempts to win his eighth Mr. Olympia in Orlando, Florida? We are betting that it will. 

What do you think of our predictions? Do you agree or disagree? Share your own predictions for a random chance to win an OSL bottle!