“That wasn’t the real Ramy we know” - Judge Steve Weinberger on why Big Ramy lost Mr. Olympia 2022

Hadi Choopan won the Mr. Olympia title in the 58th edition of the competition. The event finale, held last Sunday in Las Vegas, saw the Iranian defeat Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker. Meanwhile, the two-time reigning champion Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay settled for a fifth-place finish in the event.

Just days after the event, IFBB head judge Steve Weinberger came out to state why Big Ramy lost his title. Discussing the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, Weinberger said that he was left ‘disappointed’ in Ramy’s physique at the event. Emphasizing on Ramy’s fifth-place finish, the judge said it “wasn’t the real Ramy” everyone knew. He said that the former champion looked worse this year than at the 2021 Olympia.

Speaking in an interview with Olympia TV, Steve Weinberger said:

“It was very disappointing. His legs were not what they should have been. His back wasn’t what it should have been. His condition was off. His body parts were off. Honestly, it did not look like the Ramy of 2020, more of the Ramy from 2021 just in even worse condition. He came down even worse.”

He added:

“I think the 2020 was the best Ramy and the New York Pro was the second best Ramy but those two were a lot closer to 2021 and 2022. 2021 and 2022 were not the real Ramy that we know. I don’t know whether he has a back injury or a shoulder injury but there’s some problems somewhere with him. I don’t know what it is, but something is not right.”

It is pertinent to note that Big Ramy himself addressed his loss in a video. Just days after losing the title, the former champ said he is enacting a “great plan” to get it back in 2023. The bodybuilder said that he would work until he finds out what went wrong at the competition this year.

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Weinberger on Olympia runner-up Derek Lunsford

In the Olympia TV video interview, IFBB head judge Steve Weinberger went on to laud champion Hadi Choopan. Stating that the bodybuilder had “no weaknesses on stage” in Las Vegas, Weinberger said that he was deserving of the win. Meanwhile, he also criticized Derek Lunsford’s ‘lack of muscle maturity'.

Commenting on Lunsford, the IFBB head judge said that he thought Lunsford was starting to fade after the prejudging.

He said:

“That was a one-point decision [between Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan throughout prejudging]. When Derek came out, he looked big and full but because Derek does not have the muscle maturity of Hadi, he couldn’t withstand all the posing and started to flatten out.

"Where in my opinion, Hadi stayed the same, like I said, he didn’t change from the prejudging to the night show. He maintained his condition and that’s where I thought Hadi was better. Derek was unbelievable, amazing, but he was still lacking a little bit of muscle maturity.”

It is pertinent to note that Lunsford finished second, while Nick Walker came third. Interestingly, Weinberger dubbed Walker an early favorite to win next year’s Mr. Olympia.