Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler secured four Mr. Olympia titles during his years of active competition. In a recent Cutler Cast podcast, Milos Sarcev explained why Victor Martinez should have defeated Cutler at the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest.
Cutler led one of the most exciting IFBB Pro careers in the Men’s Open division. He’s the man responsible for dethroning eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman in 2006. In addition to his aforementioned four Sandow trophies (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010), Cutler is a former three-time Arnold Classic winner (2002,2003,2004).
The 49-year-old has been open about his career since stepping away from the stage. Cutler was known for his professional rivalry with Coleman and has shared some of the extreme measures it took to catch up with him. From a 140-egg diet to hellacious high-volume training sessions, Cutler was willing to do whatever it took to become a Mr. Olympia.
Looking back on Cutler’s career, Milos Sarcev took issue with his controversial victory at the 2007 Mr. Olympia, when he managed to defeat contenders Victor Martinez, Dexter Jackson, and Dennis Wolf.
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Milos Sarcev to Jay Cutler on 2007 Mr. Olympia Victory: ‘Victor, Dennis, Dexter, All Beat You’
Reliving the controversial 2007 Olympia competition, Sarcev is adamant that Cutler shouldn’t have won. He added that there was a valid argument for Victor Martinez, Dexter Jackson, and Dennis Wolf all winning as well.
“He said, ‘Jay is going to kill me for this,’ but I love this. I love this. I have kind of a bone to pick with you. I know you think Victor Martinez should have won right,” replied Jay Cutler.
“Hold on. Hold on. Victor [Martinez], Dennis [Wolf], and Dexter [Jackson] all beat you. If I was – yeah. He [Dexter] got fourth. Listen, there was an argument for all three. But okay, if you look now, Big Ramy slips from first all the way down to fifth. Maybe it was not even feasible back in the day. Jay is finally beating Ronnie after Ronnie beat you so many times, you were second, second, second, second, finally in 2006 you beat him, finally,” Milos Sarcev shared.
Sarcev mentioned that if he was a judge, he would have placed Cutler in fourth place at 2007 Olympia.
“In 2007, everyone expected you to win and you were not really in perfect shape. So, you could slip by one space maybe, but they didn’t even allow that to happen. If I was the judge…” says Milos Sarcev. “That was a gift.”
“But 2007, if I was a judge, you’d be fourth,” said Sarcev.
Cutler Talks ’07 Olympia Win: ‘Judging Was A Little More Biased to Names Back Then’
Cutler and Sarcev agree judges were biased toward bigger names back in the 2000s.
“I know, but you’re not qualified to be a judge. Let me ask you a question. We finished the Olympia last year, do you feel the judging standards are better today than they were back when I was there and Dorian – like, I felt, this is how I felt and I can speak this because I’m not competitive now. I think the judging was a little more biased to names back then than it is now. Because Samson just broke through. Did you expect him to be in that first call-out, they gave him the opportunity,” Cutler said.
Sarcev emphasized that officials ‘now judge what’s in front of them’.
“Maybe I’ll agree with you. I never thought about this. Are judges more fair now that they don’t judge the names whatsoever like they did in 2007 for you, you know,” laughs Sarcev. “Honest to God truth right, right now, they just judge what is in front of them. It doesn’t matter if you’re Egyptian, Iranian, or wherever you come from, they are going to judge your conditioning on the day.”
Given the subjectivity of the sport, Cutler isn’t bothered by those who disagree with his ’07 Olympia victory.
“I don’t get mad. Everyone has – that’s why, like we do this podcast, and I don’t want to walk on eggshells when I do comparisons with people. And I have an opinion on what I think. You know, I want to be truthful about my – like what I say, is out of line and people turn around and say, ‘Jay doesn’t know,’ I know some people may question because they don’t agree, but that’s what this whole thing is about,” responded Cutler.
Before wrapping up the conversation, Sarcev specified that Victor Martinez deserved to win 2007 Olympia because he had better conditioning and a more pronounced v-taper.
“I’m putting them [Cutler, Wolf, Martinez] together. Victor had a more dramatic v-taper at that time and he was very wide just like you, comparably. Shape – he had these round muscle bellies right, everything was there. When you turn the lights on now, look at condition, his conditioning was actually a little better than yours,” Sarcev explained.
Martinez recently appeared on Dennis James’ The Menace Podcast, where he discussed a potential 2023 Masters Olympia bid. He appears interested in the show but is waiting to hear how much prize money will be offered to Open class talent.
RELATED: 4-Time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler Shares His Top Three Exercises For Abs Development
Despite their difference in opinion, Cutler understands the importance of debating such topics, especially when the result is controversial. Unlike the early 2000s, Sarcev believes judges have steered away from favoring high-profile names on bodybuilding stages like Mr. Olympia.
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