Mr. Olympia Classic Physique 2025: Lethal Mutation in the Flesh Colosseum

The king is dead. Chris Bumstead ended his reign after six consecutive Mr. Olympia Classic Physique crowns, leaving the throne vacant in one of modern bodybuilding’s fiercest battlegrounds. What’s coming isn’t an orderly succession but a civil war among titans who’ve outgrown their own ambitions.

Mike Sommerfeld and Ramon “Dino” Rocha Queiroz stare at each other from opposing trenches, two generals knowing only one will emerge alive. The script seemed set for a power triangle with Urs “Miracle Bear” Kalecinski, but the German heeded his own nature and defected to the heavyweight jungle of Open. Not only did he survive the shift—he conquered two shows and qualified for the Olympia Open. Kalecinski didn’t flee Classic Physique; he abandoned it like a house that no longer fit.

Now we’re left with the duel no one asked for but everyone deserves: Sommerfeld versus Rocha in a division unsure whether to remain “classic” or admit it’s morphed into something else. Sommerfeld proved his pedigree by dominating this year’s Arnold Classic, relegating Logan Franklin to second place like someone dismissing Shakespeare after discovering Bukowski. He’d already tasted blood at the 2024 Olympia, finishing second behind the untouchable Bumstead, while Kalecinski and Rocha watched from the third and fourth steps, princes awaiting their turn.

Rocha has refined his physique with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker, sculpting his condition into a genuine threat. But Sommerfeld looks bigger, sharper—a living paradox walking the tightrope between classic perfection and the temptation to become a monster too massive for his own category. Both face accusations from purists of inflating their physiques beyond the spiritual bounds of Classic Physique, like addicts who don’t know when to stop.

The pressure is real: Sommerfeld and Rocha stand at a point of no return, forced to choose between maxing out their potential in 212 or Open or staying loyal to a division squeezing them to their limits. They insist they can still improve within Classic’s confines, but the truth is they’re dancing on the edge of the abyss. Breon Ansley, a battle-hardened veteran and category legend, flirted with moving to 212 but doubled back, returning for his tenth shot to defend a territory he knows like the back of his hand. One more chance to reclaim a title he’s won twice before.

While Sommerfeld and Rocha wage their war of giants, the division’s true future will be decided in the Top 10 trenches, where warriors like Ansley, Terrence Ruffin, Josema Muñoz, Logan Franklin, and Matthew Greggo still uphold the proportions, symmetry, and lines that originally defined Classic Physique. These men aren’t just competing for placings; they’re fighting for the soul of a category in existential crisis.

The question no one dares ask aloud is simple and brutal: Can Classic Physique survive its own champions? The answer will come in a few weeks, in October, in Las Vegas, when the smoke clears and only one man stands holding a trophy that might be the last of its kind. Because in bodybuilding, as in life, revolutions aren’t always sparked by rebels. Sometimes, they’re ignited by the kings themselves.