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Kratom Gains Momentum In Fitness Industry
Many of the world’s top athletes have discovered Kratom, including IFBB Professional bodybuilder Breon Ansley, winner of two Mr. Olympia titles in the Classic Physique Division.
2022 Prague Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview: Michal Križo Makes His Pro Debut
The 2022 Prague Pro bodybuilding event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic, and it’s one of the final shows before the Olympia.
There will be six IFBB Pro League contests held at this event, but none have more hype around them than the Men’s Open bodybuilding showdown. And most — if not all — of that has to do with the fact that this is the IFBB Pro League debut of Michal Križo Križánek, a competitor who former Mr. Olympia winners like Jay Cutler and Samir Bannout believe can make some real noise at this year’s Mr. O if he qualifies.
Here’s the full lineup for Men’s Open as of Oct. 28:
2022 Prague Pro Men’s Open Bodybuilding Roster
Kokeny Bela
Pavel Beran
Lewis Breed
Adolf Burghardt
Pavel Cervinka
Chams-Eddine El-Bey
Enrico Hoffmann
Vladimir Iacovlev
Michal Križo Križánek
Ahmad Mahmoud
Milan Sadek
Marian Sramko
Jan Turek
Favorites to Watch
If you’re looking for a cheat sheet of competitors to keep an eye on, here are three with big-time potential to walk away with a win.
Michal Križo Križánek
After being recognized as the number one bodybuilder for the IFBB Elite Pro for several years, Križánek will make his pro debut less than one month after earning his new pro card. If he wins this contest, he will earn a trip to the 2022 Mr. Olympia, scheduled to take place Dec. 16-18, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV.
Since Krizanek is starting his road to the Olympia so late in the season, he wouldn’t be able to earn enough points to qualify through the Olympia Qualification System. In other words, he must win one of the pro shows between the Prague Pro and the end of the season on November 20 to earn a spot at the O.
Milan Sadek
Milan Sadek is one of the veterans of this lineup, having competed as a pro since 2015. He appeared on the Olympia stage as a 212 competitor in 2017, when he placed sixth. And while he hasn’t won a pro show as an Open competitor, this contest could be an opportunity for him to change that. He will just have to counter Križánek’s size with razor-sharp definition and conditioning.
Marian Sramko
This is also Marian Sramko’s pro debut, and he could easily be the dark horse of the bunch. He won the 2021 NPC Worldwide British champion, thanks to his jaw-dropping legs. And his upper body isn’t too bad, either.
Sramko likes to use classic poses in his individual routine, which could impress the judges and push him up the scorecard. The only question for him will be if he can withstand the intensity and pressure that comes with being on a pro stage with an Olympia qualification on the line.
Olympia Qualification System
The second- through fifth-place finishers in all six divisions will earn Tier 4 points in the Olympia Qualification System, and those points can be valuable. The top three in the standings as of November 20 will also move on to the Olympia. The points per position are below.
2nd – 4 points
3rd – 3 points
4th – 2 points
5th – 1 point
[Related: Kings, Chemists, and Oaks — The 10 Best Bodybuilding Nicknames of All Time]
Other Divisions
The lineups for the other five contests (212, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, and Wellness) are below. In total, more than 70 pros across all six divisions will represent 20 countries. No Americans are in the lineup for this contest.
212 Bodybuilding
Abdulrahman Alkhashti
Steve Benthin
Jamal Changezi
Dawid Cnota
Pasquale D’Angelo
Peter Molnar
Daniel Sticco
Tomas Tabaciar
Jorge Zamorano
Mihoubi Zohir
Classic Physique
George Acheampong
Thomas Baier
Luca Corrado
Petar Duper
Djallel Feidi
Sebastian Guncik
Patrik Herczik
Kelvin Hinde
Jakub Kolinek
Fatih Terzioglu
Andrej Varga
Men’s Physique
Hashem Alfotewi
Omer Bahmed
Tamas Csernoch
Dimitri Desheraud
Furkan Er
Miroslav Juricek
Daniel Leone
Mohamed Magdy
Davide Mazzolari
Andrea Mosti
Abisai Pietersz
Miroslav Priban
Manuel Santalucia
Filip Steflovic
Oskar Tchorzewski
Daniel Tulok
Rafal Zabawa
Bikini
Anastazja Biedka
Andreea Cazaceanu
Martyna Derlat
Valerya Fedorenko
Klaudia Ignasiak
Tatiana Lanovenko
Ottavia Mazza
Zsofia Reka Molnar
Eszter Oczella
Mie Kirstine Rommelhoff
Henrieta Skupekova
Aneta Szoltysek
Allison Testu
Wellness
Aysegul Besli
Mari Carvalho
Leonida Ciobu
Aline Machado Galvao Freitas
Lidia Melero
Anna Mroczkovska
Lexy Oliver
Maria Paulette
Figen Sahin
Clara Sella
Lara Tasharofi
Danai Theodoropoulou
Sabrina Diaz Urdaneta
Michelle Vogelsgesang
Featured Image: KRIZO on YouTube
CrossFitter Chandler Smith Log Pressed 285 Pounds Ahead of 2022 Rogue Invitational
On Oct. 22, 2022, strongman Zach Hadge shared a post on his Instagram page wherein he coaches elite CrossFit athlete Chandler Smith in the log press. While it was curious at the time of the post why Smith was training a maximal lift in a different strength sport, it became clear when seven of the 10 events for the 2022 Rogue Invitational were announced a few days later.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational will feature a one-rep max log lift event titled “Texas Oak” on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Check out Hadge’s post below:
Note: scroll to the left to see Smith’s lifts.
[Related: WWE’s Liv Morgan Takes Fans Through Her Grueling Glute Workout]
Elite CrossFit contests such as the CrossFit Games and the Rogue Invitational have incorporated a lot of strongman-inspired events into their program over the past few seasons. The 2022 Games event titled “Capitol” included a farmer’s carry and Husafell sandbag carry in its final stretch.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational follows that trend, and Smith seems to be preparing to press a potential event-winning weight overhead. Hadge’s caption in his post expressed how impressed he was with how Smith took to the new overhead variation:
This kid is something else. I haven’t been around focus like his in a very long time.
Smith also posted a video of himself from the training session on his Instagram, offering another angle. He wore a lifting belt but eschewed elbow sleeves, wrist wraps, and knee sleeves. Check it out below:
[Related: Strongman Hafþór Björnsson to Compete in Powerlifting Meet In December 2022]
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to work with two world-class strongmen in Rob Kearney and Zach Hadge ahead of the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
Hadge commented on Smith’s post that Smith’s max lift was 285 pounds.
Smith finished eighth overall at the 2021 Rogue Invitational, won by two-time reigning Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros. As of this article’s publication, three of the 10 events have yet to be announced.
We’ll see if Smith’s strongman training in the lead-up to the competition kicking off on Oct. 27, 2022, in Round Rock, TX. He will compete against 19 other elite CrossFitters in the Individual Men’s division for six figures in prize money.
Featured image: @hadge_brothers on Instagram
Aljamain Sterling Sympathizes With Yan After UFC 280 ‘Robbery’
UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling sympathizes with two-time adversary Petr Yan following his controversial loss to Sean O’Malley.
Sterling defeated former champion TJ Dillashaw via second-round TKO at UFC 280. A fight before on the card, Yan lost to O’Malley via split decision in one of the most exciting fights of the event.
Despite the entertainment value of Yan/O’Malley, the biggest talking point after the fight was the judges’ scorecards. Many fans and pundits felt Yan won the fight, with some believing he didn’t lose a single round against O’Malley although the fight was competitive.
Tensions between Sterling and Yan have lessened since their two fights in the Octagon. They had a cordial pre-UFC 280 run-in that went viral and the two of them sat next to each other at the pre-fight press conference without issue.
In the aftermath of Yan’s latest defeat, Sterling sympathized with the former bantamweight champion.
Aljamain Sterling Supports Petr Yan Following Controversial Loss To Sean O’Malley
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Sterling gave his thoughts on Yan vs. O’Malley.
“I felt bad for Yan,” Sterling said. “I think he got robbed. O’Malley was a little shocked and perplexed after the decision as well, it caught him off guard…now he knows what it feels like when I was in the same position. The difference is I actually knew I won the fight, and he’s on the side where he won the fight and he doesn’t even know if he really won the fight until he goes back and watches. In the fight, I knew based on the strike count that I freaking won the fight.”
Sterling is referring to his UFC 273 split-decision win over Yan earlier this year. Some fans and pundits feel Yan did enough to earn the victory on the judges’ scorecards at UFC 273, on the contrary, the majority of viewers feel there was a robbery at UFC 280.
Sterling lost earlier in his career in back-to-back split decision defeats to Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assunção, as Yan now has against him and O’Malley. Nine fights later, Sterling fought for the bantamweight title against Yan at UFC 259.
When pondering his next move in the Octagon, Sterling hinted that a fight with Yan would add to his legacy. If the UFC opts to give O’Malley the next title shot, he feels it would be a massive pay-per-view draw.
Yan and Sterling could potentially meet for a third time in the Octagon and Yan will likely earn an opportunity to bounce back in a big way in his next fight.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Will Krizo Win in Prague? 2022 Prague Pro Preview Show
Will Krizo Win in Prague?
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