The controversy surrounding the 2025 Women’s Physique Olympia is not dimming down with time, as two prominent figures in the bodybuilding community, Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray, decided to weigh in on the situation that ignited the fire on December 23rd. Specifically, they talked about the accusations that Sarah Villegas made against Natalia Coelho
Coming into the 2025 Women’s Physique Olympia, it was clear that the competition was shaping up to be a true spectacle, as a clash between Natalia Coelho and Sarah Villegas felt inevitable. Natalia entered the contest with the goal of reclaiming the title she last held in 2022, while Sarah Villegas was aiming to make history by capturing a fifth Olympia crown. Ultimately, Natalia emerged victorious and was crowned champion, and for a brief moment, it appeared that the story would end there.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn after the competition concluded. Sarah Villegas publicly accused Natalia Coelho of using PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), an injectable substance sometimes used in cosmetic and medical procedures to add volume or alter muscle appearance. Villegas claimed that the alleged use of PMMA constituted an unfair advantage and should not have a place in professional bodybuilding, igniting widespread debate within the industry regarding ethics, regulations, and the boundaries of enhancement in an untested federation.
Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray Give Their Thoughts on the PMMA Accusations
The first argument that Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray made was that there are no rules prohibiting the use of PMMA in bodybuilding, or at least in the federation that Natalia Coelho and Sarah Villegas were competing in. Since the athletes are allowed to take any steps necessary to achieve their desired look, Bob believes that the concept of ‘cheating’ does not exist in this format.
This goes hand-in-hand with the opinion of Lee Priest, who talked about the difficulty in drawing the line between what is cheating and what is allowed. Although he classed it as “somewhat cheating”, Lee also talked about breast implants, which change the physique and make the athletes look more feminine.
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“I don’t believe there’s anything that you can construe as ‘cheating’ in our world of bodybuilding, in our federation in particular, because we don’t have any rules set forth and we don’t have any testing procedures. This is anything but a natural federation…
So, how do you cheat in a game that doesn’t really have any rules that are outlined of what you can and can’t do…
If you’re in a natural federation and you take gear, or you do something to pass the test, some urine type thing or a lie detector, that would be construed as cheating. But in an open format where there are no specific rules and nobody is asking what you are doing, where would that line be?” said Bob Chicherillo
Shawn Ray went along with the accusation against Natalia, but only to make a point. Similar to Bob, he held the opinion that Natalia would not be breaking any rules. Moreover, he talked about the judges, as they were the ones who proclaimed that Natalia’s physique was the greatest on the day.
“Let’s just say, for whatever reason, that Natalia is using PMMA. Whatever that is. For whatever reason she thought she needed to use it. Let’s say she did. What rule would she be breaking? If you can find the rule book, what rule book is she breaking?
And number two, did Natalia pick herself number one or did the panel of expert Olympia judges decide that in spite of what she might be on, she has the most complete and best physique, and for that she gets the award,” said Shawn Ray
Did Natalia Coelho Use PMMA?
They moved on to the question everyone wanted to hear: did Natalia use PMMA? To explain their thoughts, Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray talked about her win at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro. Both of them attended the show and did not notice anything suspicious. They then put up a question of their own: if Natalia won the Pittsburgh Pro and was the main favorite for the 2025 Women’s Physique Olympia, why would she risk everything and take PMMA? This indicates that Natalia would risk everything at that point, which there was no need for considering how great she looked in the earlier parts of the season.
“That girl competed in May at the Pittsburgh Pro, which you were sitting right there, and I was on the stage. Nobody said anything when she won the competition. Chris [Cormier] is trained. Didn’t apparently say anything in May.
So you’re telling me that between May, June, July, August, September in 4 months, she decided to undertake some protocol that would be completely unknown in how it would look and how it would work out for a girl who’s the front runner to the title and has been an Olympia champion.
But nobody spotted it then. Nobody said anything to you before when she lost to Sarah. I didn’t hear anything from anybody, including Sarah or Chris.” said Bob Chicherillo
Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray also responded to Chris Cormier, who joined Sarah Villegas in accusing Natalia Coelho. They argued that Chris’ ability to judge a physique is not greater than the judges’, along with other factors that play into building a physique that are invisible to the eye. Bob and Shawn also had a remark about Cormier and Villegas for not arguing against the decision at the 2025 Women’s Physique Olympia, and instead accusing Natalia after the competition.
“Chris is a trainer; he’s not a doctor. He said, ‘I can see it,’ but what the hell can you see looking at a bodybuilder and name the compound? I could never see testosterone, GH, or insulin; it’s all ludicrous…
Chris couldn’t even see the varicose veins in Nick Walker’s legs, and if you can’t see that, you can’t see anything. He’s disqualified.” said Shawn Ray
Conclusion
While giving their opinion, Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray talked about what the entire controversy looks like. Namely, they think that it mostly looks bad for Sarah Villegas, as she is seemingly attacking Natalia for a nonexistent rule. So, they gave Sarah advice to come back next year and beat Natalia on the stage.
“Let’s say she used this compound. It was nowhere in any rule book that she couldn’t use the compound. So, at the end of the day, let’s just say the compound worked and cosmetically the judges thought it favored her and it looked great. She’s not a cheater…
It’s too little, too late. If Sarah wants revenge on Natalia, do what Natalia did. Come back and win your title on stage…
That’s why I said it’s a smear campaign and it should have never came to light and I don’t think we should give it any more publicity,” said Shawn Ray.
“If you’ve got some crusade against things that you guys don’t deem as part of the bodybuilding culture, okay… you’re in the wrong place. Go to another federation that drug tests. Go start your own federation that tests for PMMA. I don’t know how you would do that. So, I really don’t understand the endgame here.” said Bob Chicherillo.
Watch the full video here:
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Sarah Villegas has also added that she never called for Natalia Coelho to be suspended. However, her accusations have still caused a lot of drama in the community. The responses are split between the two, with some, including Bob Chicherillo and Shawn Ray, focusing on the absence of a rule that forbids the use of PMMA, while others believe that it doesn’t belong in bodybuilding. So, there is no doubt that the situation will continue to unfold and that the next battle between Villegas and Coelho will be even more fierce.
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