Breon Ansley was unsuccessful in his efforts to regain his Classic Physique title at the 2020 Mr. Olympia. Now he talks what is next for him, and what went down between he and Chris Bumstead on stage.
Heading into the 2020 Olympia, the rivalry between Bumstead and Ansley was one of the most interesting aspects of the contest. Chris beat Breon in 2019, so Breon was looking to get his title back.
While this did not happen, the two of them did not disappoint on stage. At numerous points during the prejudging and the finals, they were caught fighting over elbow position during poses.
It was exciting to watch, and even got the judges to say something about their antics. However once Breon Ansley scored third place, some suggested that it was because he got docked for the incident onstage.
Speaking in a recent interview, Breon said he disagreed with this assessment. He says that he was just trying to open up his back shots a little more, but admitted that their athletic rivalry got the best of him a little bit.
“At the night show, we hit the back double bicep and then Chris and I get into the little scuffle, the little positioning battle,” Ansley said.
“That happened at the judging, but then at finals it happened and it was kind of ironic because they moved myself and Terrence (Ruffin) with that bicep shot.
“So I’m thinking the judges were probably discussing ‘Well if Breon doesn’t open up on this shot, we’re going to move him.'”
“Chris and I are cool, it’s just an athletic rivalry,” Ansley continued. “That’s all it is man. It’s just an athletics competitive rivalry when it’s time to be on stage.
“We are cool off stage, for sure. That’s all it is. It’s just time to be competitive, and this is all what it’s about. This is the moment that was hyped up and was anticipated.
“I guess I, or we, got a little caught up in going back and forth with the elbows in that respect, but that’s all it is. We were just fighting for position.”
Breon Ansley goes on to explain that because he is the smaller man, he could not afford to have half of his arm covered by Chris. However he reiterates that it was nothing personal or too serious.
That being said, there is still the question about what is next for Breon. Ahead of the 2020 Olympia, he hinted at a possible move to 212 if things did not go his way, but he says now he still feels like he has unfinished business.
“I was hinting at it, that if they don’t raise the weight class this year, that I’m probably going to seek other challenges in the 212 division,” Ansley explained.
“As it stands now, I’m not all the way happy with what I’m leaving in the Classic Physique division, with my mark.
“I still feel like I have unfinished business in the Classic division, especially after that Olympia Weekend, getting third place, not happy with that at all.”
With that in mind, Breon Ansley is not ruling out an eventual move up in weight, if he feels like he has done all he can in Classic Physique. He has competed there before, but it would be interesting to see him at 212 again.
Published: 4 January, 2021 | 2:51 PM EDT
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