“CBum is not Mr. Olympia” - Samir Bannout says Chris Bumstead needs to prove himself with ‘the nig boys’

Samir Bannout, a former professional bodybuilder from Lebanon, competed in the IFBB. While outlasting competitors like Lee Haney, Frank Zane and Mohamed Makkawy, he captured the 1983 Mr. Olympia title.

Bannout, a former Mr. Olympia champion, invited Chris Bumstead to participate in the Open class in episode 32 of The Muscle Maturity podcast. He went on to say that Bumstead is not Mr. Olympia but Hadi Choopan is. Bannouit said:

"C’mon Bumstead! No disrespect to him or anybody else, if you’re Mr. Olympia, you win the Mr. Olympia. There’s only one man standing as Mr. Olympia right now and that’s Hadi Choopan. ‘CBum’ is not Mr. Olympia until he wins ‘with the big boys’ like Derek did. He almost became Mr. Olympia. There’s only one man that wins Mr. Olympia. Hopefully, he will have the courage to get on the stage with the biggest boys. I will have the highest respect for Bumstead if he does that."

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Samir Bannout calls out Chris Bumstead on Mr. Olympia Open category

Few casual fans of the sport nowadays will be able to name Samir Bannout. Anyone who has followed the sport for a while, though, will be familiar with him as a dominant force in his day.

In a recent episode of The Muscle Maturity podcast, Samir Bannout called out Chris Bumstead, the most decorated Classic Physique Olympia contender ever, to compete in the Men's Open category just like Derek Lunsford.

Samir Bannout, a former Mr. Olympia champion, urged Bumstead to compete in the forthcoming 2023 Arnold Classic. Bumstead, though, was quite clear that he would only be participating in the Olympias. Bumstead disclosed two weeks ago that he used stem cell injections to aid in his recovery and also shared a strenuous leg exercise.

Chris Bumstead, a four-time Classic Physique Olympia champion, attracted notice in 2016 for his striking proportions and symmetry. He became one of the top prospects in the Classic Physique class a year later. Before claiming another victory at the 2017 IFBB Toronto Pro Supershow, he decisively won the 2017 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro. He finished the year as runner-up in his first Olympia competition.

At 2018 Mr. Olympia, Bumstead again came in second place, this time to former two-time Olympia winner Breon Ansley. In 2019 Mr. Olympia, he got his first Sandow trophy. Each year he fought against rivals who were both seasoned warriors and rising stars in order to keep his kingship.

Last year, he did not have Iain Valliere, his longtime coach and mentor, with him. Valliere, a Men's Open contestant, preferred to concentrate on his own bodybuilding career. Chris Bumstead finished the last phase of his preparation for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, which involved 12 weeks of rigorous training, with the help of famous bodybuilding instructor Hany Rambod.

The Olympia last December saw a commanding performance by 'CBum.' He successfully defended his championship and earned a fourth trophy. After the victory, he put an end to speculations that he was planning to retire and stated that he wanted to win a fifth Classic Physique Olympia championship.

Bumstead disclosed this month that he took part in the 2022 Olympia despite having a torn bicep. He described the psychological obstacles he had to surmount behind the scenes. Fortunately, the damage wasn't too severe, and in six to eight weeks, he should fully recover.

Chris Bumstead recently provided fans with a sneak peek at his 3,500-calorie off-season diet. When he returns to Olympia in November, he plans to attempt a second championship defense.