ITALY PRO MUSCLE 2026

The 2026 PROMUSCLE Italy Pro touched down in Milan, Italy on September 6, 2026, marking the second major IFBB Pro League event on Italian soil that season and one of the final Olympia qualifiers before Las Vegas. The historic city provided an electric backdrop for a truly international lineup, with 62 athletes across three divisions — Men's Open Bodybuilding, Men's Physique, and Bikini — all vying for titles and Olympia berths. With the 2026 Mr. Olympia scheduled just 18 days later (September 24–27, Las Vegas), the stakes could hardly have been higher. A victory here meant a guaranteed ticket to the sport's most prestigious stage, making every comparison callout a high-pressure moment for athletes from across Europe and beyond. The Men's Open division alone featured 21 competitors, structured across four separate comparison groups that reflected the genuine depth of the field. Heading into the show, Regan Grimes was the man to beat. The French-Canadian powerhouse had claimed the Austrian Oak Pro just two weeks earlier on August 22 in Vienna, arriving in Milan on a hot winning streak and carrying the confidence of an athlete in peak form. James Hollingshead, the seasoned British veteran known as 'The Shed,' was widely regarded as the chief threat to Grimes' dominance, while Italian home favourite Andrea Presti gave the packed local crowd a reason to cheer from the opening callouts. The September PROMUSCLE Italy Pro is a distinct event from the earlier 2026 FLEX Weekend Italy Pro held June 28 — a separate show with its own promoter, sponsor, and results. That June event was won by Edward Kargbo in Men's Open, defeating William Bonac and Jordan Hutchinson. This review covers exclusively the September 6 PROMUSCLE contest, formally titled the Italy Pro Muscle.

Match Report

Regan Grimes made an emphatic statement in Milan, delivering one of the most commanding performances on the 2026 European pro circuit. His straight first-place scorecards from both the prejudging and finals panels left no room for debate — this was a clean, convincing victory from an athlete operating at the peak of his powers. Standing 6 ft 0 in and competing around 260 lb, Grimes brought the combination of mass, symmetry, and balanced proportions that has become his calling card on the international stage, coached throughout by 1989 Mr. Universe winner Miloš Šarčev. James Hollingshead was the legitimate challenger throughout the evening and pushed Grimes harder than anyone else in the lineup. The London-based veteran, who first stepped on stage in 2008 and has spent nearly two decades building his reputation as one of Britain's finest Open bodybuilders, reaffirmed that he remains a dangerous force on the European circuit. A silver medal at this level of competition is nothing to discount, and Hollingshead's consistency across major pro shows continues to cement his legacy as a perennial top-tier threat. Andrea Presti's bronze-medal finish was the emotional highlight of the evening for the Italian crowd. Competing on home soil at one of his nation's marquee pro events, the experienced Italian — a former Mr. Olympia stage competitor — delivered a strong performance that rewarded his loyal home-country supporters. His presence in the top three added meaningful local flavor to what was an impressively international podium spanning Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Further down the card, the German contingent provided one of the more compelling subplot storylines. Four German IFBB Pros — Emir Omeragic, Tim Budesheim, Matthias Hollweck, and Patryk Galimski — represented their nation in a field where the competition was fierce. Hollweck and Omeragic were grouped in the third callout, while Budesheim and Galimski appeared in the fourth. Budesheim's situation was particularly difficult, as he had endured digestive complications for several weeks leading into the show. Galimski's back, identified as an ongoing weakness, proved too significant a liability at this level. Sasan Heirati, a two-time 2026 winner, saw his early first-callout inclusion reversed as judges moved him to the lower placement group — a telling shift that underscored the depth of this field. With 21 Men's Open athletes on stage and four distinct comparison groups required to sort the lineup, the PROMUSCLE Italy Pro proved itself a legitimate, high-quality qualifier worthy of its place on the Olympia-qualifying calendar. Regan Grimes walked away with the title and further Olympia confirmation to add to his Austrian Oak win a fortnight prior, while Hollingshead, Presti, and a deep European supporting cast demonstrated that the continent's pro bodybuilding scene is as competitive and vibrant as ever heading into the Las Vegas showdown.