Dorian Yates ruled the Men’s Open for six years, leaving the sport at the pinnacle of his career. In his wake, Ronnie Coleman emerged as a dominant Mr. Olympia, only to surrender his title to a surging Jay Cutler. Unfortunately, the world never got to witness Yates and Cutler battle on stage, prompting judge Terrick El Guindy to assess this fantasy match-up
Dorian Yates remains one of the most respected Mr. Olympia winners today, thanks to his otherworldly conditioning and massive back. He established himself as an all-time great with six Olympia titles, having faced the who’s who of the Open class, including former four-time Arnold Classic champion Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, and Nasser El Sonbaty.
Years after Yates hung up his posing trunks, a young Jay Cutler pushed into Olympia contention. Cutler not only managed to dethrone Coleman but also won the prestigious show four times. After losing his title to Dexter Jackson in 2008, Cutler was counted out. He used this setback as fuel, presenting his best physique ever in his 2009 Mr. Olympia comeback.
There’s no denying that both bodybuilders led outstanding careers. Since they never faced each other, El Guindy decided to break down how he believes a fantasy match-up would have played out if both men were at the peak of their powers.
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Terrick El Guindy Says 2009 Jay Cutler ‘Was Better’ Than Dorian Yates in 1993
According to El Guindy, Yates’ best physique came in 1993, but he mentioned that the bodybuilder would have benefitted from bigger biceps and triceps.
“He was bigger than Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Shawn Ray, and all those guys. Did he have the lines that those guys had? No. He didn’t. Not even when he turned Pro. His waist got bigger with time, it was smaller in the first couple of years. His best physique was 1993.”
“I think he could have had bigger arms, biceps, and triceps, his legs, back was phenomenal. Maybe a little bit more chest, loved his calves. Great poser. He was mega-consistent with his conditioning. He was dominant. Do I think his 1993 physique, which is his best, is as good as 2009 Jay Cutler? No, I don’t.”
El Guindy doesn’t believe Yates’ look in 1993 would have stacked up against Jay Cutler’s epic 2009 physique.
“I think Jay Cutler at his best was better than Dorian. Dorian won more titles, had great competition, was more consistent with conditioning than Jay, but Jay Cutler 2009 was out of his mind.”
Chris Cormier disagreed, arguing that Yates’ career and accomplishments speak for themselves.
“Blasphemy. Blasphemy. The thing is, I don’t think he was there in 1993 when you saw Dorian Yates turn the lights out on every possibility that we thought Flex Wheeler could masterfully come from his 1993 which people will say was the ultimate physique to put on a stage, it was going up against in his rookie year going up against the likes of Dorian Yates. And at that time, I mean, everyone thought Flex was the ultimate and he just flat got knocked out. Runned up and done up in Atlanta in 1993 at the Olympia.”
“That made me think, ‘Do I really want to do this for a living’ with someone like Dorian Yates coming out and the way he was hitting his shots, and it looked like he barely had skin over the muscle. All over his body. It wasn’t the body parts like Terrick said,” explains Cormier.
While Cormier doesn’t point to one specific body part on Yates, he thought his ‘combination of everything’ was what made him so imposing.
“The muscle, it wasn’t about each muscle group on Dorian, it was the way it was a combination of everything, from the powerful shots to the striated back, glutes, and cross striations across the calves, hamstrings, didn’t have the greatest body parts but all together and the way he moved, boom and then boom! With the back, and then back with this cobra-like looking back.”
Terrick El Guindy hasn’t been the only notable voice in bodybuilding to assess this fantasy match-up. Milos Sarcev also examined a hypothetical showdown between Yates and Cutler.
“They say it’s not even fair to compare [past champions from different eras]. Jay said you have to really see it to believe it and appreciate the kind of hardness and dryness, the fibrotic tissue, would 2009 Jay be overwhelmed by any version of Dorian? No. Dorian would not overwhelm you.”
Although they never had the opportunity to compete against each other, fans and followers of the sport love to dissect fantasy match-ups. Terrick El Guindy respects the career of Yates but believes he wouldn’t have bested Jay Cutler’s 2009 physique.
RELATED: Jay Cutler Reveals List of Fiercest Competitors He Faced During Mr. Olympia Reign
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