The 2024 Arnold Classic South America left some participants less than thrilled by the results, including runner-up Tonio Burton. In recent Instagram posts, Burton and the event’s winner Rafael Brandao traded barbs following their close-fought battle.
Brazil played host to an action-packed spectacle, headlined by the Men’s Open division. By the time finals were underway, it was evident that Tonio Burton and Rafael Brandao were fighting for gold. In the end, Brandao won in his backyard, cementing himself as a two-time Arnold Classic South America champion. In addition, he qualified for 2024 Mr. Olympia thanks to the triumph.
Days following the big show, Tonio Burton was confident his package was worthy of first place. He argued that if IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion or head judge Steve Weinberger officiated the contest, he would have won soundly.
Rafael Brandao and Tonio Burton Beef Over Results of 2024 Arnold Classic South America
According to Tonio Burton, if Manion or Weinberger judged the event, Brandao wouldn’t have won given his conditioning levels. He added that Brandao also displayed lumps in his glutes.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
“I said it online and I’ll say it again: he wasn’t conditioned enough to win any pose. If you had someone like Steve or Tyler judging… he’s not making the call-out with that conditioning. Then, to even speak on his glutes, if you’ve seen he has lumps in his glutes.”
Having lost by six points to Brandao, Burton contemplated stepping away from the sport for a while.
“Yeah, so it’s kind of like, that’s why when I seen the scorecards it was kind of like, yo he smoked me that bad with everything going on? I shouldn’t compete. It took for my woman and even my coach and everything to be like, ‘Hey, ignore that.’ Because in my head, like I said, I told them, ‘Yo, I think I’m done for a while,'” explained Tonio Burton.
After hearing what Tonio Burton had to say, Rafael Brandao quickly responded via Instagram with his statement on the recent event.
“Hello @tonio_burton, I’m going to explain some thing to you that you either didn’t understand or pretended you didn’t understand.
Firstly, my gym is private and was already scheduled to be closed a few days before the show, just for me and my team. And even though you were going to compete against me and are not close to me, I allowed you and your team to train and create content within my gym, and I didn’t even complain that you clogged the toilet and trained in your underwear.”
“About the backstage, I only had two companions, my coach and my wife, all the other people who were there were not there for me but for their own sponsors, but we are in Brazil where thank God I have many friends. I was lying with my towel on the same backstage floor as you, there weren’t any exclusive privileges for me, you even had more companions than me.”
Even though he is a native of Brazil, Brandao said he received no special treatment at the Arnold Classic South America.
“Regarding my oil painting, each athlete has to take care of their own, I have a friend who was doing this for me, and you should have someone on your team who can do this for you too, it wasn’t the championship that provided this especially for me.
Regarding the result, when you complain that you were judged unfairly, you are not speaking ill of me, you are speaking ill of the judges. They are professionals trained to see who is the best as a whole and not just in 1 muscle group.”
Brandao argued that at ‘maximum conditioning,’ Burton still lacked separation in his quads and hamstrings. He also lacked detail in his shoulders and chest and competed with ‘little muscle volume,’ per Brandao.
“Regarding my physique, it’s not my fault if you at your best weren’t able to beat me. You, at your maximum conditioning, still had no separation in your quads and hamstrings, no detail in the shoulders and chest, and competed with little muscle volume.”
Brandao would love nothing more than to face Tonio Burton on the biggest stage in bodybuilding later this year.
“And regarding my attitude backstage, I was there to focus on the competition and not to make friends, if you really wanted to make friends this wasn’t the time. Finally, secure your qualification and see you at the Olympia! Or not… respect my country!” shares Rafael Brandao.
While Brandao secured his Olympia qualification, Burton still has work to do if he hopes to rematch the Brazilian star in October. Burton has made it clear he intends to enter the nearing 2024 New York Pro. However, he will face one of the sport’s most imposing forces in the Open as Nick Walker wants to bounce back after injuries sidelined him from competing at Olympia last year.
Athletes have until September 15 to secure their qualification for the greatest event of the year. The 2024 Mr. Olympia contest returns to Las Vegas, Nevada from October 10-13 for its 60th anniversary.
RELATED: Flex Lewis and Rafael Brandao Join Hands for Intense Shoulder Workout and Posing Session
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
