Dubai Pro – A Show that Matters! – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog

by Christian Duque

All right folks so I don’t want to throw shade at the crappy shows that we have been seeing as of the last couple of months anymore. You all read my article here at IronMag a couple of days ago and you know how I feel about that. There’s no sense in beating a dead horse. But now let’s talk about a show that has a great amount of prize money and has a tremendous lineup. It’s a show that will really matter in the grand scheme of things. This is the biggest show in the Middle East and this is a region where bodybuilding is king. When we are talking about a part of the world like this, you had better believe that the guys are going to bring it. And it’s not just about the money, it’s about the respect. Anytime you have competitors like William Bonac, Nathan De Asha, Tonio Burton and Behrouz Tabani, you know what time it is. But in addition to those guys you also have some rising talent, like the one and only NECKZILLA!! Who’s not going to want to see Rubiel Mosquera hit the stage. Even if he doesn’t win the contest, he’s got that undeniable freak factor.

Who can forget DAS FREAK MARKUS RUHL and everyone in the audience shouting “RUHL!!” It sounded like the whole venue was being shook to its pillars.It was the kind of chant that made your whole body tremble. Think of the loudest car bass system you could imagine passing you by on the street. When people shouted “RUHL,” the walls shook. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s about having that entertainment factor that’s been missing from so many of the rinky dink contests that we have seen as of late. Bodybuilding fans deserve a show like the Dubai Pro. And they’re going to get one hell of a phenomenal showdown. I also don’t want to overlook some of the other great competitors from the region. You’ve got guys from Egypt, Iran, but also guys from Germany the United States, and elsewhere. When you have $140,000 on the line, you know you’re going to draw out a who’s who of the pro ranks!!

Again it’s not just about the money, but money does make the world go round. We can’t sit here and pretend like shitty prizes are going to draw out top quality competitors. And it goes back to when the Arnold Classic had all of six guys one year. Arnold, himself, had to dig deep into his pockets and put a lot more money on the table to draw out the best talent. And that’s because bodybuilding is not a cheap sport. Once you factor in the food, the training, the travel, and let’s not forget the 10,000 pound elephant in the room, the drugs, you’re not going to find a lot of top tier takers!

This is a very expensive sport. A guy is not going to spend two or three times more money than the top prize to do a contest. Not only is that a waste of that competitor’s time, but it’s also a waste of that competitor’s money. Competitors that have the luxury of being able to compete are not going to go to a contest where they stand to lose money. Especially guys that don’t need the qualification. If you’ve got a competitor that has already qualified for the Olympia because they won a contest or because they’re automatically qualified, why are they going to compete in a subpar show that’s going to put them in the poor house.

It goes back to my previous article, but I think it’s pertinent in that this is the type of show that we need. The shows that we don’t need are the shows that honestly shouldn’t be on the calendar. For example, I could see a lot of fans around paying top dollar for the pay-per-view for the Dubai Pro. Now I don’t know if the Dubai Pro is going to offer a complimentary livecast (like the Arnold Classic does) or if they’re going to charge (like pretty much every other show does). But I, not only as a fan but also as a journalist, would pay money to see this contest. The reason I would is because there’s real talent here. There are guys that have been in the top 10 at the O. You look at a guy like William – he almost won the Olympia in 2019 and he’s won the second biggest bodybuilding show – more than once. That is a top tier competition. But then you also look at all of the punches that the promoters are going to pull for this show, from the host hotel, to the expo, to the amount of promo they’ve done on all the social media platforms. They are making this show something to watch, something that people are not going to want to miss. They are really paying attention to the details. That’s key!

And it’s so much more than just a graphic here or a graphic there. Instead of having three or four or five shows in the Middle East, they have one show that pulls out all the punches. Because it goes back to the quality over the quantity approach. And that is something that I think is lost here in the United states. We have so many bullshit shows with bullshit prize money and bullshit competitors that when we see something like the Dubai Pro it makes us think of the New York Pro, or the Tampa Pro, or the Arnold Classic. It’s apples and oranges. But it’s actually more than apples and oranges because apples and oranges are both fruits you want to eat. A more fitting comparison would be bags of gold or bags of shit. I’m really sorry to be so crass and so insensitive, but someone is going to have to do it. I don’t write articles to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I like to think that I write articles that tell the truth.

I’m actually excited about the 2025 Dubai Pro!

And even though William should win (IMO), Behrouz is a guy that has given The Conqueror a run for his money in the past. And who can forget about Nathan? Nathan is a badass. Unfortunately, because of visa issues he has been unable to compete at the O, but believe you me, this guy brings it! And when he brings it, everybody had better get out of the way because he’s not going there for second place or third place. When The Prophecy signs his name on the dotted line he wants to win the contest. He doesn’t half-ass it during prep and he certainly doesn’t half-ass it on stage.

These guys are not your third and fourth call-out type of competitors. They have been on the mountaintop, they’ve been on the covers of the magazines, they know what it’s like to get mobbed at expos and seminars. They bring that confidence with them onstage. And that confidence coupled with the physiques that they’ve built, create for a very good contest because you get to witness an actual battle on stage. And that’s not something that you’re going to see at a $10k show.

Listen, the last thing I want to do is not promote a bodybuilding show. I tip my hat to anybody that wants to get involved in this sport and put their money where their mouth is. All I’m saying is, maybe some shows could be perfected a little bit more before launching them. Maybe add more to the prize money, maybe develop better business relationships with supplement companies and then have a better expo. But don’t just have a show to have a show. That doesn’t help anyone and it really kind of ruins it for the fans. Any person that buys a ticket to the Dubai Pro is going to have one heck of a good time and once the show is over they’re going to want to go back. That’s not just good for the sport, but that’s good customer service for the fans.

So who do you think’s going to win the show? For me it’s going to be between William and Nathan. But for you it might be somebody else. Maybe you think Rubio can win it or maybe you think Behrooz can. Or maybe it could be one of the 10 or 12 guys that none of us are familiar with. Because those 10 or 12 guys, while they may not have the big social media followings now, they’re also not going there for second or third or fourth, either. This show might also give us the next big thing. You’re only a nobody or a no-name until you actually make something happen on stage. And that’s where it matters – not on Instagram, not on YouTube, but on game day. If you bring it on game day and you get a top placing – or even better, if you win the show – now all of a sudden you matter. So who knows who’s going to win?! More importantly, who’s going to want to miss this great show? Not me!

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It is bound to generate some lively conversation.