M&F previously reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger had courted controversy at his classic bodybuilding show this year during commentary, by labeling the board shorts worn in the Mens Physique Division as “bogus.” Now the trophy winner Ali Bilal has responded and unlike The Terminator star, it seems he won’t be back.
“It’s been 5 days since I won the show, and if you ask me how I feel, if I’m happy with the win, of course I am,” said Bilal in a heartfelt video posted to his 1.3 million Instagram followers on March 8, 2025. “But it’s just (given) me a bit of mixed feelings, the show, because everything I see on social media, everything that’s going on, like Arnold saying on show day that Men’s Physique was (a) stupid division and I don’t know why the IFBB created it, it just killed the whole happy vibes for me, I don’t know why. So, I have decided this was my last ever Arnold Classic. I’m not going to go to a show where my division, where I get treated with disrespect.”
Who is Ali Bilal?
Ali Bilal is an immensely popular Afghanistan-born bodybuilder and was the winner of the 2025 Arnold Classic Mens Physique title. In 2024, he was runner-up at the Mr Olympia competition to Ryan Terry. As one of the flag bearers for his division, Bilal has taken umbrage to Arnold’s dismissal of his division.
Schwarzenegger’s most recent negativity towards the Mens Physique Division went down during the 2025 Arnold Classic live stream, when he criticized the group during commentary on the show for wearing longer shorts than those in the Open or Classic ranks. “The interesting thing is they also have really well-developed thighs — a lot of these guys — so I don’t know why they make them wear those long shorts,” he said. “For me, that’s bogus.”
Bilal has not only taken issue with Arnold’s attitude, but his prize money to boot. “I don’t think it’s fair that (the) Open Division get $500,000, Classic gets 60K, and the Mens Physique Division only get $10,000. It’s not fair. We prep as hard as the classic guys or the open guys, we train as hard, bring good conditioning, bring good physique. If you just go to (the) Middle East, or whatever Asian countries, if you see how popular Mens Physique is, it’s crazy.”
He continues: “It brings so much money. Just see my reach. You know, when I post a video, or some Open guy posts a video, nothing against anyone, it gets a crazy reach. It’s a very, very popular division.” Bilal believes that in contrast, he has been treated with respect at other big shows. “Imagine you prepping for 16-weeks and then you go to a show and then someone tell(s) you, ‘Oh, who invited you here? We don’t even like you’. It doesn’t feel good I think.”
Ali Balal Says He Won’t Be Back
Balal further confirmed his intentions to not be back at the Arnold Classic in his accompanying caption, taking issue with the fact that Schwarzenegger used the word “bogus” to describe Men’s Physique. “If they really wanted to see legs, they should have invited the (212 Division) instead of Mens Physique,” he wrote. “I wasn’t even planning to do the show in the first place, but the team reached out to me asking me to compete. In return we get disrespected for $25000. I felt like I needed to come out and highlight this, since I won the show and no one else would speak their mind.”
The prize money for Mens Physique at the 2024 Olympia was also well below that of the Open and Classic Divisions but clocked in at $50,000, double that of The Arnold Classic. Bilal’s fans were quick to support their outspoken hero. “This is a bold stance only a few can take,” wrote one follower. He was also backed up by notable bodybuilders including Erin Banks. “My last year as well,” he wrote. “They have to do better.” M&F will keep you up to date as the story develops.
