First ever Middle East IFBB Pro competition set to open with a bang.
*There have been recent updates on this article – noted below the original post
Today brings the start of the first ever Middle East IFBB Pro League bodybuilding contest. And they sure do know how to start with a bang – many of the world’s top IFBB pro athletes have been invited to compete for the ultimate first place prize. Only 10 days after Mr. Olympia, many of the pros are now going on a European tour. First hitting up the Arnold Classic Europe, now the Dubai Classic, and soon after the Prague show.
This is yet another chance for the top pros to prove their worth and gain redemption for the placing that they may have missed out on at other shows. Here’s a list of the pros that were officially invited to the event:
Essa Obaid
Phil Heath
Kai Greene
Dennis Wolf
Shawn Rhoden
Dexter Jackson
Big Ramy
Roelly Winklaar
Cedric McMillan
Victor Martinez
Branch Warren
Toney Freeman
Evan Centopani
Johnnie Jackson
Lionel Beyeke
Ben Pakulski
Ronny Rockel
Hidetada Yamagishi
Bill Wilmore
Brandon Curry
Baitollah Abbaspour
Fred “Biggie” Smalls
Michael Kefaliano
This is a pretty hefty lineup for a first time competition. Among the pros that were invited – those who are confirmed to be competing are Juan Morel, Roelly Winklaar, Dexter Jackson, Dennis Wolf, Fred “Biggie” Smalls, and Shawn Rhoden.
Big Ramy will be in attendance as well but will unfortunately be unable to compete because of a previous hamstring injury that had also prevented him from competing at the Arnold Classic Europe.
With a few of the big names crossed off the competitor list (such as Phil and Kai) it will once again be a free for all to see who takes up the top ranks in the Men’s bodybuilding category.
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What We Look Forward To
Ever since Olympia weekend, all eyes have been on Dennis Wolf and Shawn Rhoden. An incredible back and forth is starting to emerge with these two athletes. Rhoden took out Wolf with his third place win at Mr. Olympia only to be knocked down a peg by Wolf during the Arnold Classic Europe this past weekend. By our count that puts them at one-one. So we can’t wait to see what these two pull out of their sleeves this time. These two are so close that they are literally teetering on the edge of a pin. One slip up and the other will reign supreme.
Who do we think will take the top prize at this competition? It’s hard to say. Both Rhoden and Wolf have been in peak condition – but if we had to go with our gut, we’d go with Dennis Wolf. He’s simply a beast in size and physique and one of our Generation Iron alums. We’ll soon find out if he can pull ahead for another win.
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**UPDATE**
It has been recently reported that now all things are well at the IFBB Dubai Classic. According to Evolution of Bodybuilding, Dennis Wolf was never given his plane ticket to the Dubai competition. Dennis will not pay for a last second plane ticket and so will not be competing in the competition. Not only that but Master of Ceremonies Shawn Ray has also not received a ticket and will not be able to make the trip as well.
This is a huge oversight for the Dubai promoters, especially for the first ever year of the competition. You can watch the video here where Dennis confirms that he will not be making it to the competition. (It starts at the four minute mark).
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Make sure to check back with us to get complete updates on the results for the 2014 Dubai Classic. Share your predictions on who will win in our comments section below or on our official Facebook and Twitter pages.
