It’s going to be a close call.

Well, the pre judging rounds are over and for the first time in the Arnold Classic we have a new way to look at the scoring… the posing round. We’re not quite sure yet how this will complicate things for our competitors but there’s one thing for sure: it’s going to make this a harder win for defending champion Jose Raymond.

Why exactly? Well as it’s being noted by onlookers across the expo (and across the internet), Jose Raymond didn’t come in at the spectacular conditioning we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Look, he’s not doing bad by any means… he’s definitely in the top rung of competitors out there today. But he lost a little bit of something that would have most likely made him a shoe in for the #1 spot tonight. Then you throw in the posing round and a new scoring system and things become even more unsure. This makes for a very exciting finals round tonight as nothing is certain.

[wptouch target=”mobile”] [/wptouch]
[wptouch target=”non-mobile”][/wptouch]
.

The way we see it – this competition is going to come down to the wire between Jose Raymond and Generation Iron alumni Hidetada Yamagishi. He came out on stage in the pre judging with his expected near-perfect conditioning… and while he might not be able to top Jose Raymond on sheer size – he does have an advantage in another (and new) way. Yep, we’re circling back to the posing conversation. It’s no secret that Hidetada has one of the most, let’s say, cinematic posing routines this side of the 212 division. And now all that work, all that bravado, will actually mean something.

As expected, Arnold Schwarzenegger has truly changed the game with the introduction of the new scoring system and honestly we couldn’t be any happier. We always want hard work to be rewarded – but it’s also nice to have an air of mystery heading into the finals round. Nothing is a given and ultimately that leads to one hell of a competition to watch.

Who do you think will ultimately win tonight? The returning champion or the underdog clawing his way to the top every year? Let us know in our official Arnold Classic 2016 mega thread in our GI forums… or hit us up on Facebook and Twitter. Stay pumped!

[wptouch target=”mobile”]

[/wptouch]
[wptouch target=”non-mobile”] [/wptouch]

[wptouch target=”mobile”]

[/wptouch]
[wptouch target=”non-mobile”][/wptouch]