Natalia Abraham Coelho dethroned four-time champion Sarah Villegas at the 2025 Miss Olympia. It was an outcome that has been heavily debated. However, former Mr. Olympia contenders, including a Mr. Universe winner, picked Coelho.

On December 26, Dennis James, Jose Raymond, and Milos Sarcev sat down to break down the future of bodybuilding. During the conversation, the former Mr. Universe broached the topic of Coelho beating Villegas.

"Natalia is the sweetest lady ever. You know, sweetheart, you love her, right? She’s one of the greatest physiques ever," said Sarcev.

James agreed, saying that her victory was justified, even though her quads were weak. She won because her upper body outclassed everyone on stage, including Sarah.

“I’m saying this because I’m biased. “I’m biased, but I’d be honest enough to say: listen, Sarah is great. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a walk in the park beating her. Yeah, of course. But if you ask me, or you can ask 10 people standing there, just front-relaxed, who has the better shape? It’s clear,” James said during the Menace podcast.

Sarah Villegas won the Women’s Physique Olympia in 2023 and was expected to continue her reign as champion this year. The last time Natalia held the trophy was in 2022, and not many saw her coming back to reclaim the title.

The win was met with intense scrutiny and public debate after Villegas made some startling statements after the loss.

Sarah Villegas on Natalia Abraham Coelho’s victory

Sarah Villegas took to Instagram on October 14, accusing Natalia Abraham Coelho of being enhanced. "7 Olympia medals, and all-time winningest with 4 gold. I run to the fire, not from it. Bring it on."

"The way you do one thing in life is the way you do everything." Rewarded or not, shortcuts will always catch up. More to come on this #AllTimeWinningest," added the former champion.

The statement didn't come as a surprise to the bodybuilding community, as both women hate losing to one another. Weeks before the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Judge Terrick El Guindy described their intense rivalry.

"The dislike is there. They don't like losing to each other. They don't even like battling with each other," revealed El Guindy. So it may be safe to assume that this rivalry is here to stay.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi