Golden Era bodybuilder Samir Bannout believes the sport might be headed in the wrong direction. In a recent video (November 13, 2026), he urged the IFBB Pro League to crack down on muscle fillers like Synthol and PMMA. Additionally, he argued that Joseph Baena deserved third place in his natural Pro debut.
The muscle filler-PMMA controversy engulfed the sport right after the 2025 Mr. Olympia. In the Women’s Physique category, Natalia Abraham Coelho secured gold, but her bigger quads received extra scrutiny. Her rival, Sarah Villegas, insisted that a Brazilian doctor contacted her with confidential information about Coelho’s PMMA (permanent synthetic plastic filler) procedures.
As a result, Villegas labeled Coelho the new ‘OIL-ympia’ champion. Despite the back-and-forth, Coelho went on to win her third crown at the 2026 Olympia. Meanwhile, bodybuilders continue to speak out, with many arguing that muscle fillers truly have no place in the current federation.
Samir Bannout Says Sport Needs to ‘Stay Clean’ of Muscle Fillers, Talks USA Today’s Bombshell Report
In the video, Bannout warned that the sport needs to stay clean of fillers to preserve its identity.
“I know several champions that injected oil into their calves, and guess what? That actually backfired. All of those guys, they lost the muscle in their calves. Something happened where the muscle got atrophied, and shit like that. So, yes, I think they are talking about it. I think social media, newspapers now, USA Today, and New York Times, they are asking… I think we need the sport to stay clean, in my opinion.”
He said the IFBB Pro League was more strict when he was competing, and looked back on being disqualified from an Arnold Classic contest along with Shawn Ray.
“Yes, I did [talk to them]. They just asked me questions. What do I think of this happening in the sport? I told them, I said, one time, I competed at the Arnold Classic, and I got caught using Masteron at the time, and you know, but Masteron wasn’t a muscle filler and things like that, but the Arnold Classic that year, they decided to do it naturally. You know who got caught? Me and Shawn Ray, we got disqualified.”
“I think the IFBB were more strict back in the day. I’m pretty sure Jimmy would not allow the monkey business to take place,” adds Bannout. “I hope to see the IFBB get more strict about these things, seriously.”
Bannout Praises Joseph Baena’s Natural Pro Debut
Bannout also assessed Baena’s latest top-five finish at the Pro AM Natural World Cup. He thought he deserved bronze but got overlooked:
“He’s making clean gains. He could have been slightly fuller, in my opinion,” Bannout shared. “He looked great, don’t take me wrong, but sometimes, I judge the fullness of the body by the neck. When your neck is small, that means you’re more on the flat side, but yeah, I could see all the detail on his body.”
“The show was difficult. It wasn’t an easy show. It wasn’t like a walk in the park. I saw some guys, they were really, really shredded,” he said. “I’m not going to say this, you know me, I don’t kiss ass to nobody, but I think Joe deserved third. I think being Arnold’s son, they were too tough on him, in my opinion.”
The greatest bodybuilders of all time aren’t staying quiet. Six-time Mr. Olympia champ Dorian Yates believes Synthol and PMMA use have become rampant and undermine the integrity of bodybuilding. And Yates isn’t the only Mr. O speaking up. Phil Heath recently called out today’s era for not having ‘real muscle.’ He said modern bodybuilders are loaded with site enhancements.
Bodybuilding continues to evolve, but some think it may be headed in the wrong direction. In time, Bannout wants to see the sport separate itself from site enhancements like Synthol and PMMA.
