something on your mind
and you’re at a press
conference, what better
place to say it? You saw
Ramy. Ramy’s was a little
more rehearsed, if you ask
me. It sounded like it wasn’t
really something he wanted
to say, but he did anyway. I
mean, the guy basically said
that he was going to be the
best Mr. Olympia champion
of all time. That’s really a big
statement. [Laughs] I don’t
even think he realised what
he said. But at the same
time, I was thinking, “Finally,
someone wants to say
something.” I’m not going
to ridicule another athlete
for believing in himself or
wanting to be the best. I’m
OK with it.
What’s the significance
of seven Olympia wins
for you? Obviously,
you’re tied with Arnold
Schwarzenegger now.
Seven definitely means
without a shadow of a doubt
that I’m a Hall of Famer.
And you have to throw me in
there as one of the greatest
bodybuilders of all time.
Because I’ve
faced adversity, and I’ve
gone against multiple
second-place people. To
defend against various
people throughout your
legacy is important. It
really means to me that
I’ve been able to
persevere through life’s
challenges and truly
be a champion.
To be seven-time
Mr. Olympia in this
climate
that we live in, with
social media and this
and that—no disrespect
to the other athletes, but
they couldn’t do it. Because
the expectations are far
greater than what we saw
back when Ronnie and even
Jay were competing,
because of how social
media is. The pressure is
there. Everybody has a
phone. I mean, I’m literally
there last night, in Las
Vegas [four days after
winning the Olympia], having
a night where I can go get
something to eat, and I figure
I’ll go play some blackjack for
an hour. And someone took
a picture of it. I’m the face of
the sport, and that comes
with a lot of pressure.
You can’t hide. And if you’re
an introvert, like many
bodybuilders are, you’re
going to have to change
your DNA.
So, aside from anything
I just told you, to be able to
walk around and say,
“No matter what happens
to me from this day
forward, I’ve tied Arnold been as dominant on
the Olympia stage as
anyone in history.
What do you need to do
to be considered the
GOAT in bodybuilding?
Will it take nine Olympia
wins and passing
Haney and Coleman?
Or 10 maybe?
I think I’m in it. But the timing
of when Arnold was the
champion was important. A
lot of new things emerged—
not just with the magazines,
but supplements were
just starting to take form.
He was illuminated in the
magazines so heavily that
it made him look like a
Schwarzenegger,” is
something. No one else can
say that except Coleman and
Haney. That’s it. I take that
with great pride. god. That’s why people
remember him, because of
how he was portrayed.
And he beat a lot of amazing
athletes. He was a very
strong-willed, confident-
slash-cocky guy. He was
very focused and very
driven. I think people
look at champions by their
attitudes and how they
approach things, and how
they make people feel.
You and most everyone
else still refer to Arnold
Schwarzenegger as the
“GOAT” (greatest of
all time), but at what
point do you enter that
discussion? You’ve
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