Indy Pro 2021 - Luis Rodriguez wins his debut triumph!

On Saturday, May 8th, Indianapolis, USA became the venue for the first competition of this season of professional bodybuilders competing under the banner of the IFBB Jim Manion Professional League. The next edition of the Indy Pro show was held here.
Both the representatives of the Open category and their lighter colleagues from the division up to 212 pounds had their place here, who were fighting not only for the victory, but also for the opportunity to stand on the stage of this year's Olympia Weekend.

Open category

A total of 12 heavyweights took the stage in this category, which wasn't a lot considering the very long competition hiatus. Moreover, their quality was not so great either. In spite of these aspects there was a lot to watch.

Immediately for the first semi-final comparison the judges selected the five of Luis Rodriguez, Mohamed El Emam, Dorian Haywood, Morgan Aste and professional newcomer Blessing Awodibu.

The duel for the triumph was contested by the pair of Rodriguez, El Emam. Haywood and Awodibu battled it out for third and fourth place. The last place in the Top 5 was to go to Aste.

Of course, Luis Rodriguez, who had to settle for second place four times in the past years, was probably the most fired up after the victory, which he was not enjoying. Moreover, if he hadn't won here, at the Indy Pro, where the competition wasn't very strong, it probably wouldn't have been very pleasant.

There were no surprises though, and Luis, in his 15th start among the elite, managed to take his maiden win!

A fighter who has put himself back under the wing of Abdullah Al Otaibi, who has replaced A as trainer. J. Sims, weighing in at just under 116 kilograms, managed to offer a balanced physique without any major weaknesses, and his biceps poses were a highlight here as well.

The very next weekend Luis plans to compete in the New York Pro 2021, where he will face much more competition, and he will want to leave the stage as a winner!

The second place, and thus his best result so far among the pros, was taken by Mohamed El Emam. Although he doesn't have as balanced a physique as Luis, he has a lot of full muscles and excellent quadriceps, which secured him the first place in the qualification ranking.

Mohamed El Emam vs. Luis Rodriguez

A very respectable third place finish in his professional debut went to Blessing Awodibu. He offered a pretty good upper body, but the lower half fell a bit short. In addition, he looked quite flat, which, according to some, should have moved him down a place. In his defense, however, it must be admitted that compared to the fourth-ranked Haywood, he offered better preparedness, a narrower waist, and was much better able to control his abdominals, giving a much tighter impression than his opponent.

Blessing Awodibu vs. Dorian Haywood

Carlos Chapa was the last to make it into the Top 5, surprisingly pushing Morgan Aste out. However, a much better, more balanced and more attractive physique decided in his favour!

Although Morgan, with his height of over 190 cm and weight of 130 kg, was the biggest fighter on the stage, compared to his opponents he offered much more hard, sharp and full muscles, as well as paper-thin skin, but his physique is just not very watchable!

Results:

1. Luis Rodriguez - qualified for Mr. Olympia 2021
2. Mohamed El Emam
3. Blessing Awodibu
4. Dorian Haywood
5. Carlos Chapa
6. Morgan Aste

7. Camilo Diaz
8. Roy Evans
9. Dwayne Walker
10. Stephen Frazier
11. James Culberson
12. Seth Engman

1. Luis Rodriguez

2. Mohamed El Emam

3. Blessing Awodibu

Other competitors

More photos can be found HERE on Npcnewsonline.com.

Categories up to 212 pounds

There were a few more competitors in the under 212lb division, a total of fifteen, but more importantly, the quality of the competitors was several times greater than that of the heavyweights! This was evident in the very first semi-final comparisons, which saw a group of seven consisting of Noel Adame, Bryan Balzano, Tonio Burton, Nathan Epler, John Jewett, Sahar Kazes and Justin Randall, with it being obvious that the trio of Jewett, Burton and Epler would decide the winner.

When these three met once more in front of the judges, and at their request took the most bizarre turns between them, it was obvious that the winner was not 100% decided, and they were more than equal opponents!
Gradually, however, the field was narrowed down to a pair of professional newcomers, Tonio Burton and Nathan Epler, from whom a single winner was to emerge.

In the end, Tonio Burton was able to take the win on his professional debut. At 95 kilograms, which is already very close to the maximum weight limit, he offered a powerful, full and hard musculature, a balanced physique, and very good preparation.

Also enjoying the second place was a professional newcomer, namely Nathan Epler. He may be slightly taller than his opponent, but given that he was able to offer a great deal of muscle and a narrow waist, he did not look any more subtle. His weakness was perhaps his arms, which were not, compared to the rest of his body, that powerful.

Nathan Epler vs. Tonio Burton

The best prepared competitor on the 212 podium in terms of muscle sculpting and hardness was clearly John Jewett. But he paid the price for being too flat compared to his opponents. He had to settle for third place, even though he was considered the clear favourite long before the event!

Results:

1. Tonio Burton - qualified for 212 Olympia 2021
2. Nathan Epler
3. John Jewett
4. Bryan Balzano
5. Noel Adame
6. Justin Randall
7. Sahar Kazes
8. Thomas Lenihan

9. Derik Oslan
10. Ryan Walter
11. Peter Castella
12. Samir Troudi
13. Devaughn Bartley
14. Chad Merchant
15. Nawar Kaabi

1. Tonio Burton

2. Nathan Epler

3. John Jewett

Other competitors

More photos can be found HERE on Npcnewsonline.com.

Source :
www.ifbbpro.com
www.npcnewsonline.com
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