Two-time Mr. Olympia Big Ramy is OUT of 2023 Mr. Olympia
The 2023 Mr. Olympia contest now has a big void in the lineup because two-time Sandow Trophy winner Mamdouh Elssbiay, better known as Big Ramy, has officially ruled himself out of the contest on Nov. 3-4 in Orlando, Florida. Elssbiay expressed his decision in an interview with Olympia announcer Bob Cicherillo on his Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel.
After Elssbiay shared his thoughts about the contest, Cicherillo confirmed that Elssbiay bowed out before moving on to the next topic of the interview. Elssbiay cited a need to let injuries heal and re-evaluate his physique before moving forward with another contest. He didn’t rule out competing in either the 2024 Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH or the 2024 Mr. Olympia, the location of which has yet to be announced.
Had Elssbiay entered the competition, it would’ve been the first time that three Mr. Olympia winners had been on the same stage since 2020 when Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, and Brandon Curry posed down in Orlando. Elssbiay actually won that contest to be the 16th Mr. Olympia in history.
Since the man from Egypt will not be in the contest, that leaves Curry and defending champion Hadi Choopan as the only two titleholders in the lineup. They will be joined by other superstars such as last year’s runner-up Derek Lunsford, 2021 Arnold Classic winner Nick Walker, and 2023 Arnold Classic champion Samson Dauda.
The contender that could take Elssbiay’s spot in the list of top contenders could be wide open. Hunter Labrada won the Tampa Pro earlier this year, and he’s been as high as fourth in the Olympia. Andrew Jacked was eighth last year, and he may have been his best when he beat Labrada in the 2023 Texas Pro. Michal Krizanek and Nathan De Asha certainly can’t be ignored, and then there’s Canadian Regan Grimes, who just won the 2023 Europa Pro.
As for Elssbiay, he has options as to when or if he will compete again. Should he choose to compete in another show, he has lifetime qualification to any contest, including the Olympia, as a past Olympia champion. That means he can enter the 2024 Arnold Classic, wait until the next Olympia, or do both. He could even enter a smaller show if he chose to.
If he would choose to hang up his posing trunks, it would be disappointing to many international fans, but he would go down as a legend in the sport thanks to his two Sandow Trophies. Out of the 17 men to have won the Mr. Olympia, 11 of them have won at least two titles. Elssbiay was also the first Egyptian to have won the title in the contest’s near six-decade history. His place in history would be secured. All of that said, we hope to see Big Ramy and his big smile back on stage again in 2024.