M&F beforehand reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger had courted controversy at his basic bodybuilding present this yr throughout commentary, by labeling the board shorts worn within the Mens Physique Division as “bogus.” Now the trophy winner Ali Bilal has responded and in contrast to The Terminator star, it appears he received’t be again.
“It’s been 5 days since I received the present, and when you ask me how I really feel, if I’m pleased with the win, in fact I’m,” mentioned Bilal in a heartfelt video posted to his 1.3 million Instagram followers on March 8, 2025. “However it’s simply (given) me a little bit of combined emotions, the present, as a result of the whole lot I see on social media, the whole lot that’s happening, like Arnold saying on present day that Males’s Physique was (a) silly division and I don’t know why the IFBB created it, it simply killed the entire pleased vibes for me, I don’t know why. So, I’ve determined this was my final ever Arnold Traditional. I’m not going to go to a present the place my division, the place I get handled with disrespect.”
Who’s Ali Bilal?
Ali Bilal is an immensely common Afghanistan-born bodybuilder and was the winner of the 2025 Arnold Traditional Mens Physique title. In 2024, he was runner-up on the Mr Olympia competitors to Ryan Terry. As one of many flag bearers for his division, Bilal has taken umbrage to Arnold’s dismissal of his division.
Schwarzenegger’s most up-to-date negativity in the direction of the Mens Physique Division went down throughout the 2025 Arnold Traditional dwell stream, when he criticized the group throughout commentary on the present for carrying longer shorts than these within the Open or Traditional ranks. “The attention-grabbing factor is additionally they have actually well-developed thighs — a whole lot of these guys — so I don’t know why they make them put on these lengthy shorts,” he mentioned. “For me, that’s bogus.”
Bilal has not solely taken subject with Arnold’s perspective, however his prize cash as well. “I don’t suppose it’s truthful that (the) Open Division get $500,000, Traditional will get 60K, and the Mens Physique Division solely get $10,000. It’s not truthful. We prep as laborious because the basic guys or the open guys, we prepare as laborious, deliver good conditioning, deliver good physique. In the event you simply go to (the) Center East, or no matter Asian international locations, when you see how common Mens Physique is, it’s loopy.”
He continues: “It brings a lot cash. Simply see my attain. You already know, after I publish a video, or some Open man posts a video, nothing towards anybody, it will get a loopy attain. It’s a really, very talked-about division.” Bilal believes that in distinction, he has been handled with respect at different huge exhibits. “Think about you prepping for 16-weeks and you then go to a present after which somebody inform(s) you, ‘Oh, who invited you right here? We don’t even such as you’. It doesn’t really feel good I believe.”
Ali Balal Says He Received’t Be Again
Balal additional confirmed his intentions to not be again on the Arnold Traditional in his accompanying caption, taking subject with the truth that Schwarzenegger used the word “bogus” to describe Men’s Physique. “In the event that they actually needed to see legs, they need to have invited the (212 Division) as an alternative of Mens Physique,” he wrote. “I wasn’t even planning on doing the present within the first place, however the crew reached out to me asking me to compete. In return we get disrespected for $25000. I felt like I wanted to return out and spotlight this, since I received the present and nobody else would communicate their thoughts.”
The prize cash for Mens Physique on the 2024 Olympia was additionally properly beneath that of the Open and Traditional Divisions however clocked in at $50,000, double that of The Arnold Traditional. Bilal’s followers had been fast to assist their outspoken hero. “It is a daring stance just a few can take,” wrote one follower. He was additionally backed up by notable bodybuilders together with Erin Banks. “My final yr as properly,” he wrote. “They need to do higher.” M&F will preserve you updated because the story develops.
