But they are this time around, and anything less shouldn’t be expected from The Governor!

All four champions from 2011 will return and defend their crowns, not the most usual circumstance when you factor in a number of reasons why this is a special occurrence, indeed. Many competitors skip the Arnold to concentrate on the Mr. Olympia or have no choice in the matter if they suffer an injury. Take Branch Warren, for instance. The Texas native not only won the title last March, but also the Most Muscular Award. Outside of the British Grand Prix a few weeks later (which he also won), Warren will have not had donned the posing trunks in nearly 12 months when he hits the stage at the Arnold. A freak accident caused him to become injured and have to bow out of the Mr. Olympia.

Warren will have his work cut out for him against a line-up that includes Dexter Jackson (a three-time Arnold champion), as well as Dennis Wolf and Evan Centopani, who both finished in the top six a year ago.

In female bodybuilding, it will be once again the great Iris Kyle looking to monopolize the Ms. International first place prize, something that she has been able to do on six prior occasions. “I just take one year at a time,” Kyle said. “I do my homework and try to come in with the package that (the judges) are looking for.”

Of course, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia will have something to say about that, herself a four-time winner in Columbus and a frequent runner-up to Kyle here and at the Ms. Olympia.

Adele Garcia will look to add a fifth Ms. Fitness International trophy to her growing collection and will have to fend off the likes of Tanji Johnson and Camala Rodriguez.

In 2011, the inaugural Ms. Bikini International took place and Nicole Nagrani was named its first champion. “I feel amazing right now; I’m on top of the world,” Nagrani commented backstage following the win.

The 19-year-old again stood in the winner’s circle at the Olympia and will have to watch out for Sonia Gonzales (second) and Nathalia Melo (third), who were directly on her heels last March.

Perhaps the most interesting battle will take place in figure, where Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern have gone back and forth in Ohio and Las Vegas the last few years. Wilkins has tasted victory at the last two Ms. Figure International shows and will also have to keep her eyes on Ava Cowan and Cheryl Brown.

Keep in mind that these lists are just the people who have been invited to the 2012 Arnold Classic and there will be some who decline the invite for one reason or another. But competing here is an honor and most will in fact be up there on the stage at the War Memorial come March 2 and 3.

The official lists are as follows:

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

For more information, be sure to visit the official contest website, www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.

Centopani was victorious that evening in Manhattan and did not enter a contest again until the FLEX Pro Championships earlier this year, where he once again stood in the winner’s circle. He then entered his first Arnold Classic and placed a very respectable fourth in a stacked line-up.

Contemplating the Mr. Olympia, Centopani took many things into consideration. His wife is expecting their first child and he is having a house built, so the Connecticut native decided to wait until next year. “Earlier in the year I was thinking that I wanted to do the Olympia and now that things are coming up, with everything going on with the house and the baby seven weeks from now, and I’m looking at where I’ll have to be getting ready for the Olympia, I think maybe it would be in my best interest probably to wait one more time and come in strong at the (2012) Arnold and know that I’m going to go from there into the Olympia,” he said in a recent video clip on Muscular Development.

If Centopani did go to Las Vegas this year, he probably would not have had an easy time of it. With the likes of Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Branch Warren, Kai Greene and Dennis Wolf up there, there’s a good chance that he would have not made the top six. That doesn’t mean the field will be any easier in 2012, but the youngster is giving himself a better chance by keeping it to the two major contests in the calendar year.

This will give him ample time to work on some weaker points, such as his chest. By possessing such mass and symmetry, a Sandow or two is certainly not an impossibility for Centopani.

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Also included in that was another Most Muscular Award for Warren and he brought a package to the stage that was his best. Not only did he look hard and dry, but Warren was proportioned from his traps to his calves.

Dennis Wolf continued his amazing upward trend by placing second and appeared even tighter than he did at last year’s Olympia. A mild surprise with third place came when Victor Martinez (a past winner of the Arnold but who has been slightly off the past few years due to injury and personal tragedy) heard Evan Centopani’s name called out for fourth place. The youngster from Connecticut appeared headed for the top three at pre-judging but the Dominican Dominator did come in sharp.

Another former winner in Ohio placed fifth, as Dexter Jackson’s smaller physique was symmetrical enough to keep him in the top six. Ronny Rockel rounded out the group and looked impressive, as usual. He probably deserved better, but no one can deny the German’s physique – diminutive or not.

Johnnie Jackson came in looking better than he has in a while and placed seventh, the spot that Roelly Winklaar (eighth) found himself in last March. Toney Freeman and Ben Pakulski also made the top 10.

Another person receiving a warm welcome was Evan Centopani, who is competing in only his third pro show and first Arnold. He recently won the FLEX Pro and still appears sharp, but Dennis Wolf (who placed fourth at the FLEX) looks to have better conditioning here than he did in California, and that may be enough to get him past the young Centopani.

Dexter Jackson looks smaller than he has in the past but still is in great shape. Victor Martinez looks much better than he did at the 2010 Mr. Olympia but is not as hard as he used to be. Ronny Rockel looks really good as usual but once again it appears his diminutive stature will work against him when faced with such a big line-up. He deserves better.

Roelly Winklaar looks good, but not in the top six. Johnnie Jackson appears thick and hard. Toney Freeman doesn’t look as good as he did in September.

This is the way we see it turning out with pre-judging behind us:

1 – Branch Warren

2 – Dennis Wolf

3 – Evan Centopani

4 – Victor Martinez

5 – Ronny Rockel

6 – Dexter Jackson

We feel that Rockel is much better than both Victor and Dexter, but he will probably not get the nod over the larger Dominican Dominator.

For the men, we will have a new champion with two-time winner Kai Greene choosing to sit this one out. Will someone such as Victor Martinez or Dexter Jackson reclaim the title? Or will Branch Warren transcend his Most Muscular Awards into first place?

Evan Centopani will definitely receive more than a few looks with his recent FLEX Pro Championship win. This will be only his third pro show, with success following Centopani in both previous contests. Dennis Wolf has been on point in his last two shows and Ronny Rockel’s improvements are unquestionable. Roelly Winklaar was an unknown at this time last year before finishing seventh at the Arnold in his maiden professional outing. By winning the 2010 New York Pro, he has made himself someone to be highly considered in every show he competes in.

Here is how we see it turning out:

1 – Branch Warren

2 – Dexter Jackson

3 – Evan Centopani

4 – Dennis Wolf

5 – Ronny Rockel

6 – Fouad Abiad

7 – Roelly Winklaar

8 – Victor Martinez

9 – Toney Freeman

10 – Sergey Shelestov

Warren has been so close at the two major shows and seems to be well-liked by the judges in Ohio. With Greene and Phil Heath dropping out, the Texas native should be able to hold off what is still a fairly deep line-up. Jackson looked good in finishing second at the FLEX and should squeak by Centopani this time. The judges panel may lean towards the veteran here.

Wolf has made a successful comeback with a good showing at the ’09 Olympia and again at the FLEX, so we like him to make the top six in Columbus. The diminutive Rockel sometimes gets overlooked, but gets another feather in his cap here. Abiad took third at the FLEX and made some big gains to get there. He is our surprise name in the top six.

Winklaar had a banner rookie campaign and can definitely duplicate that. Should he do better than the same place as last year? Depending on a few things, he can certainly bump himself up a spot or two. Winklaar hasn’t competed since September and someone as inexperienced as him may need a year or two to figure out the timing of everything in the pro circuit.

‘The Dominican Dominator’ has not done that much of late and we expect Martinez’s descent to continue this weekend. He doesn’t seem to have the same intensity as he once did but with so much pure talent and ability, Martinez may surprise us and we would be only too happy to eat our words. The sport is more interesting with a top conditioned Martinez on the stage.

A rough offseason could effect the X-Man in a detrimental way. Freeman’s trouble’s in Europe – although not totally his fault – may have set his schedule back. Plus he also tested positive for marijuana and that cannot bode well for someone training for an upcoming contest. (I don’t care how many months out that incident was; smoking weed and bodybuilding should not ever be mixed.)

Shelestov and Jackson are always looking good and either should be able to sneak into the top 10. We like Shelestov to be the one.

The judges had this one nailed, with Centopani leading the way with 12 points and ‘The Blade’ 18. Abiad (34) barely held off Wolf (36), with Ben Pakulski and Ben White rounding out the top six.

For Centopani, he added this first place trophy to his 2009 New York Pro championship and now seems destined for great things in the sport of bodybuilding. He has timed everything right in his career and does not burn himself out with multiple contests. He picks and chooses his battles and it has apparently worked out well for the Connecticut native.

At 41, Jackson does not appear to be losing much and has been the antithesis of Centopani, competing in four or more shows a year throughout his illustrious career. He had three top six finishes a year ago (fourth at the Arnold Classic, second at the Australian Pro Grand Prix and fourth at the Mr. Olympia) and is on track to match or better that.

Abiad was last seen on the stage back at the 2009 Europa Super Show, where he finished fourth. The Canadian has yet to make a name for himself as a pro but this high placing may be just the type of springboard he needed. Abiad’s physique appeared wide and conditioned on his 6’2″ frame.

Written off after not placing at the 2009 Olympia, Wolf took fifth in Las Vegas last year and remained a force to be reckoned with in California. He may have to compete more than he would have liked to so he can qualify for the O, and next month at the Arnold may be his ticket out west. If not, perhaps the New York Pro may be his destination again.

This changes the playing field ten-fold. Wolf resuscitated his career back in September by placing fifth at the Mr. Olympia and Centopani has been bulking up since winning the 2009 New York Pro in his maiden pro voyage. Both will bring a great presence to the stage out west and the results here may set up a very interesting Arnold Classic a few weeks later.

Both Wolf and Centopani have already stated that they intend on being in Columbus, Ohio for the second most prestigious contest on the bodybuilding calendar and they will be joined by other big names such as Branch Warren, Victor Martinez, Ronny Rockel and Roelly Winklaar.

Will Wolf and Centopani (and to a lesser extent, Shelestov and Abiad) have a leg up on the competition? Or will their participation in a contest so close to the Arnold be detrimental? You can look at it two ways – they can tweak their physiques in the time between the two shows and perfect them. Or they can peak in February and have trouble getting dried out again.

Either way, the FLEX Pro just became a much more interesting event with the addition of two popular names.

2011 FLEX PRO COMPETITOR LIST (as of 1/7/11)

Fouad Abiad
Grigori Atoyan
Robert Belisle
Evan Centopani
Stan Efferding
Wendell Floyd
Dan Hill
Dexter Jackson
Ben Pakulski
Ben White

Greene stated in the report that due to competing at least three times every year since 2006, his body needed a rest for him to be in top condition once the 2011 Mr. Olympia arrives. He will in fact compete before September to qualify for the O, so bodybuilding fans will get to see what Greene looks like after a decent break.

Considering that he seems to peak once a year, going all out for the Sandow may seem like a good strategy on the outside. If Greene can harness his conditioning in the Fall instead of earlier in the calendar year, then this seems like a smart strategic move. But if he puts all his eggs in one basket and fails to make at least the top three, then the critics will have a field day.

Greene has taken a lot of criticism since finishing seventh in the 2010 Mr. Olympia. He was probably lucky to have placed as high as he did and could have easily fell out of the top 10. His abdominal area was far from sharp and was definitely one of his weaker points and Greene needs to concentrate on improving that if he hopes to have any shot at unseating Jay Cutler.

It will be a much different Arnold without Greene and Phil Heath, last year’s runner-up who previously announced that he was taking the show off. That opens the door for someone like Dennis Wolf or Branch Warren, or even a wild card such as Evan Centopani.

Now the questions must be asked – what does Wolf do to get his game back on track? According to the Muscular Development.com forums, member The Mayor of Bodybuilding has stated that Wolf is confirmed to compete in the 2010 New York Pro on May 8.

While that is a fairly prestigious show, it is quite a ways away from the Arnold or O. That may be just what Wolf needs in order to qualify for the Olympia a few months later. but he is not an automatic by any means to even win in Manhattan. Last year, Evan Centopani took first place against a pretty good line-up that featured Markus Ruhl, Dennis James, Silvio Samuel and Hidetada Yamagashi.

So does Wolf concentrate on preparing for the Big Apple or does he go ‘balls to the wall’ for the Arnold and quiet all the naysayers? Weighing the differences, unless he finishes high in Columbus (minimum in the top six), it would be viewed as a failure for him and it may be difficult to get back into contest shape two months later. If he then qualifies for the Olympia, he would have to get back on stage four months after that and peaking two or three times in a year is a tough task for anyone, especially someone who is coming off a huge disappointment and is probably in dire need of a mental boost.

If Wolf is committed to the New York pro, then he probably will not compete in Ohio. That will lead to some criticism but it could be the best decision for him at this time.

P.J. initially started out in powerlifting and was successful, but decided that his ultimate goal was standing in the winner’s circle on the bodybuilding stage. At 22, he entered his first competition and placed fifth as a novice light heavyweight at the 2003 Atlantic States.

“I was the youngest in the class,” Braun wrote on his official website, www.pjbraun.com. “Success. This felt amazing and I was now addicted to the sport for life.”

Two top-three finishes in a row gave Braun the confidence that he needed to make the commitment to take it to the next step. He took off nearly two years to add some size to his frame and came back at 220 pounds for the 2006 Junior USA, where he finished what he described as a “controversial” fourth. A week later, Braun won the New England Bodybuilding Championships with a heavy heart. “Two days prior to the show, John Stavidris, one of my best friends, had passed away,” wrote Braun. “That winning moment was so surreal. It will live with me forever.”

Since then, Braun has finished 11th at the 2007 IFBB North American Championships and 9th at the same show a year later. He then was victorious at the 2008 NPC Atlantic City Amateur as the super-heavyweight and overall champion.

Braun is also one third of the famous Brat Pack along with Evan Centopani and Guy Cisternino. P.J. is the last one without a pro card, so he is keeping good company and on his way to joining his mates before too long.

This is part of an exclusive series by MuscleSport Mag on the 2009 NPC Empire States for which we are one of the show’s official sponsors. The show will take place on Saturday, July 18 in Suffern, New York.