The Item: IFBB Pro League Contest Results, Sports Festival, Andrew Oye's IFBB Pro Athletes Roundup, WSM Pro Athletes Roundup
The Scoop: Just Announced: Over the weekend, IFBB Pro Dexter Jackson made history again as he was crowned the first-ever winner of the inaugural IFBB Pro Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Bodybuilding Championships Australia in Melbourne. Two-time winner of the Arnold Classic USA, "Quadrasaurus" IFBB Pro Branch Warren was the 2nd place runner-up (mirroring his placing from last week's Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio). As he did at his Arnold Classic USA debut, IFBB Pro Justin Compton took 3rd place in Melbourne. Nudging up one spot from his showing at last week's North American event, IFBB Pro Evan Centopani nabbed 4th place in Australia. Leaping two spots from his Arnold Classic placing in America, IFBB Pro Brandon Curry claimed 5th place at the Australian Arnold Classic.
The remaining field of physiques: IFBB Pro Roelly Winklaar (6th), IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski
(7th), IFBB Pro Toney Freeman (8th), in his Arnold Classic debut Australia's IFBB Pro Josh Lenartowicz
(9th), IFBB Pro Cory Mathews
(10th), in his Arnold Classic debut Australian IFBB Pro Luke Schembri (11th), and at his first Arnold Classic New Zealand's IFBB Pro Sam Mohammad (12th).
The "So What?": As reported in "Andrew Oye's Pro–Muscle Report," the IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series Point System (1st automatic qualification, 2nd - 5 Points, 3rd - 4 Points, 4th - 3 Points, 5th - 2 Points) applies to IFBB Pro League athletes' eligibility to compete at Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend to challenge reigning Mr. Olympia IFBB Pro Phil Heath. The Arnold Classic Australia is a Tier 3 contest, i.e., one of few to award more points per placing than Tier 4 contests. "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed with the promoter of the former IFBB Australian Pro Grand Prix Bodybuilding Championships to launch the 1st Annual Arnold Classic Australia Championships. The Australian Grand Prix, the region's sole IFBB-sanctioned professional bodybuilding contest from 2004-2014 had been previously won by 4-time winner Dexter Jackson, 3-time winner IFBB Pro Chris Cormier, IFBB Pro Ronny Rockel, IFBB Pro Dennis Wolf, IFBB Pro Shawn Rhoden, and Branch Warren. (The 1989 Melbourne Grand Prix was won by IFBB Pro Gary Strydom, who was later named the 2-time champion of WWE CEO Vince McMahon's WBF World Bodybuilding Federation). WSM's 2-time World's Strongest Man and 2-time Arnold Strongman Classic USA winner, Brian Shaw won the 2015 Arnold Strongman Classic Australia.
Andrew Oye's Verdict: Arnold Schwarzenegger's flagship contest the Arnold Classic USA was just held a week before the new Arnold Classic Australia, so it was no surprise that (with several of the same contestants in both lineups) the final results were quite similar. As I reported, Dexter Jackson earned a record-setting fifth Mr. International title at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, breaking his own previous record that he had shared with IFBB Hall of Famer and retired IFBB Pro Flex Wheeler of four Arnold Classic USA victories each.
The 2008 Mr. Olympia and 2012 Masters Olympia Champion, Dexter "The Blade" Jackson's phenomenal contest history is profiled in the MUSCLE INK Magazine feature titled "Classically Cut" – a tribute to his collection of 64 Top 5 placings in 81 contests in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, including 22 first-place professional victories. There have been whispers about possible retirement for the 45-year-old veteran in the very near future. Since he has achieved just about everything else, the ideal closure to his chapter in pro bodybuilding might be for Jackson to win the upcoming Arnold Classic Brasil and Arnold Classic Europe, thereby becoming the first IFBB Pro League athlete to win all franchises of the Arnold Classic that existed during his actively competitive career. That is, if he could accomplish such a feat before the launch of the Arnold Classic South Africa and Arnold Classic Asia, which, according to reports, are on the near horizon.
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