Big Ramy winning the 2021 Mr. Olympia. / YouTube
Winter isn’t coming. For only the second time in his 11-year professional career (the other was 2019), Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay will not be competing in the Mr. Olympia this year. Ramy won bodybuilding’s ultimate title, the Mr. Olympia, in 2020 and 2021, but the Egyptian slipped to a humbling fifth at last year’s Olympia. Then, he was fourth at the Arnold Classic on March 4, as winner Samson Dauda and third-place finisher Andrew Jacked (both behind him at the 2022 Olympia) overtook him.
Big Ramy recently turned 39, and we at The Barbell contend he was at his best in his first two pro years, way back in 2013 and 2014. Can the two-time champ again achieve crisp conditioning, a tighter middle, and a more balanced physique? We won’t find out this year. Interviewed at this weekend’s Dubai Pro, Big Ramy said:
“I have to be smart to know the best time for me to be on the stage and the best time for me to stop a little bit. I think this year I have to get a break from the show and if I have the chance to bring a better version of myself and I can bring something different, yeah, I would be in the next show. But I think Olympia is the closest show. I’m not going to be in Olympia this year.”
“For many people in the Middle East, that’s not making them happy. But I work hard to give them the best version of Ramy and I don’t think this is the right time to go to Olympia this year. Me and my team spoke about that and I think the best thing we can do right now, we’re looking forward to the other goal. Yeah, we’re thinking about next year.”
The 2023 Mr. Olympia will be held November 3-4 in Orlando, Florida.
For picks from Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and others, check out: 2023 Mr. Olympia Predictions
