Samir Bannout is back to discuss two of the IFBB Pro League’s hottest Men’s Open contenders. In a recent Old School Labs Podcast, Bannout took a closer look at Michal Krizo’s 2023 Mr. Olympia potential and Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov’s recent injury from guest posing at the 2023 Musclecontest International Brazil.
Bannout was an elite Men’s Open competitor throughout his career and reached the top of the sport in 1983 when he claimed his lone Mr. Olympia title. This event was packed with bodybuilding stars like Robby Robinson, Frank Zane, and Lee Haney, but they were unable to match the detail of Bannout, especially from the back.
In retirement, Bannout has proven to be a valuable member of the bodybuilding community. He routinely discusses current events happening in the sport as well as the Men’s Open class he once ruled over. One talent in particular caught Bannout’s attention last year, and that was Slovakia’s Michal Krizo.
Krizo moved quickly in 2022. He switched from the IFBB Elite Pro League to the NPC, and then from there, won an IFBB Pro card and placed 12th at 2022 Olympia in his rookie season. Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov used Krizo’s blueprint to make his respective splash as well.
Good Vito switched to the NPC and later earned his Pro card in dominant fashion at the 2022 Musclecontest International Brazil Nationals. Other veterans of the sport took notice of Good Vito too, such as 1990s standout Chris Cormier. In an Olympia TV interview, Cormier praised Vito for his upside and predicted he would be a problem for other competitors in the future.
Samir Bannout Torches ‘Good Vito’ After Injuring Knee Guest Posing: “The Whole Act Was Stupid”
After witnessing Good Vito’s untimely accident while currently in prep, Bannout emphasized that he’s being misled by a coach/trainer.
“Good Vito, Good Vito, what’s wrong – Oh my God. This guy has so much potential Nick. It’s fucking pissing me off to see someone with such great potential acting kind of goofy. Let me just say it this way: this guy is Mr. Olympia material. But whoever is leading him in the wrong direction, it’s truly sad. I look at it from my perspective. You have all the fucking tools to be great and look at what he’s doing now, what the hell is he doing?” asks Samir Bannout.
“What do you think about the [umbilical] hernia?” asks Nick Trigili.
As for his umbilical hernia, Bannout found it disgusting. He added that Vito’s posing was miserable.
“Honestly, it looks disgusting. Disgusting,” said Samir Bannout. “This guy has the potential to go very far. Young kid, what 25 years old, what the hell is he doing. This is wrong, this is wrong, everything he’s doing, that act, it’s like fucking goofy. He has everything necessary to be great.”
“A terrible way to do those four poses, sorry, seriously. I’ve been talking positively about his genetics and potential. No doubt, he’s good but posing is disgusting, miserable. The act – and this crazy act like that is really not — it’s not something that I would promote or I would approve.”
With improved presentation and a proper coach, Bannout believes Good Vito can return better than ever.
“The presentation, showing it the right way. Like what’s his name, the Russian guy, Good Vito, it’s really shameful what he was doing. His act was not acceptable, to me, it looks like a joke. To me, it’s embarrassing. It’s a joke, it’s embarrassing. You [Vito] need to hire a coach that’s well-rounded, that understands how to present that body how to show that great body that you have. And he has the body. But the whole act was stupid, honestly. This is how I say it: stupid, retarded.”
“He’ll recover, he’ll be back. He’s learning the hard way, evidently. He needs to find someone to show him better presentation that will also be concerned about his health and well-being. Because that thing in his belly button looks totally not good. He’s doing something not right, look at the poor guy. 25 years old and he’s so eager to good.”
“He’s a happy camper, he’s got a good personality,” said Bannout. “He’ll be okay. He’ll come back and learn. He’s learning,” shared Bannout. “He’ll recover and he’ll be back, and hopefully he’ll make some adjustments to his presentation,” added Samir Bannout.
Bannout Guesses Michal Krizo’s Cycle: ‘I Guarantee You, It’s Not Excessive’
Given Krizo’s muscle fullness, size, and quality, Bannout is highly curious about what he’s taking to maintain his physique.
“I still want to know what guys like Krizo is doing, I would like to know because he’s got that muscle fullness, muscle size, muscle quality, and he seems to be doing it comfortably. I would like to know and I guarantee you, it wouldn’t be an excessive amount of drugs.”
I don’t think so. But I would like to know, this would be a major – I can tell when someone is doing too much drugs. I can tell right away on the skin but for Krizo to look this sharp while he’s training, he looks almost like contest ready, it’s amazing. I would like to know how much he’s using for let’s say tren and stuff like that.”
Bannout believes Krizo’s potential steroid cycle consists of approximately four compounds with a ‘very small amount’ of androgens.
“I’m thinking about Krizo’s quality when we saw that video tape doing the last podcast we did. I’m still in my head, saying, ‘That guy has the kind of quality away from the contest, huge, and he’s got that onion skin. I would like to know what the hell is he really doing. I would like to know.”
“I’m thinking he’s taking about 75 milligrams of oxandrolone, he’s taking maybe one winstrol 50 milligrams daily, and he’s taking a very small amount of androgen, something like 400 milligrams or maybe 5, not more than that. That’s my guess.”
This isn’t the first time Bannout has offered his take on Michal Krizo’s Mr. Olympia-winning potential. In a previous podcast, Samir suspected that Krizo’s posing abilities were holding him back from bringing his best. To remedy this issue, Bannout advised Krizo to seek out Frank Zane for some posing instructions. During his tenure, Zane was known for blending aesthetics and artistic posing on stage, which led to three Mr. Olympia titles.
Unlike last season, Krizo will have more time to prepare his body for the Mr. Olympia contest in Nov. Last month, Michal took first place at the 2023 Empro Classic Pro. This victory set him up with another invitation to the sport’s biggest event taking place later this year.
Fans look forward to seeing Krizo perform on the Mr. Olympia stage. As for Good Vito, Bannout is confident he’ll be back despite the knee injury.