Rafael Brandão will not be present during the 2022 Arnold Classic.
The 2022 Arnold Classic is set for March 3-6 in Columbus. The lineup is stacked in each division with Men’s Open being the highlight once again. That lineup recently took a hit with Rafael Brandão reportedly pulling his name out of the competition.
Many news outlets have reported that representatives from the Arnold Classic have confirmed Brandão’s exit. Generation Iron has reached out directly and is still waiting for confirmation. Brandão has not made an official statement himself. It is unknown if there will be a replacement for Brandão. If not, the field will be set with 13 competitors.
2022 Arnold Classic Lineup
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
- Maxx Charles (United States)
- Brandon Curry (United States)
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom
- Nathan De Asha (United Kingdom)
- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Steve Kuclo (United States)
- Cedric McMillan (United States)
- Fabio Giga Rezende (Brazil)
- Justin Rodriguez (United States)
- Mohamed Shaaban (Egypt)
- Brett Wilkin (United States)
- Akim Williams (United States)
Rafael Brandão has been one of the up-and-coming names in bodybuilding. He has built a massive social media following and fans were looking forward to seeing what he could do during the 2022 season.
Brandão made his debut in 2017 when he took part in the San Marino Pro in Italy. He took home eighth place during this show. This would setup what would be a successful run in 2018. Brandão finished third at the California State Championships before being a top-five finisher during the Toronto Pro Supershow.
Brandão made his Arnold Classic debut in 2019, when he finished seventh. This was when the world got to see his physique against some of the top in the world. He went onto place second at the Arnold South America that same year. Last year, Brandão took home the prize during the Romania Muscle Fest Pro.
The bodybuilding world will have to wait a bit longer to see what Rafael Brandão has to offer this year. He will now have to focus on making his way to the Olympia stage in December in Las Vegas. Either way, this is a disappointment but the Arnold Classic is still set to be an incredible show.
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