Chris Cormier wanted Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera to compete at the Arnold Classic

February 11, 2024

Chris Cormier wanted Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera to compete at the 2024 Arnold Classic.

Bodybuilding star, Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera, shocked the bodybuilding world by earning his pro card and placing third in his pro debut at the 2023 EVLS Prague Pro.

Immediately after the event, bodybuilding legend, Chris Cormier, Rubiel’s coach/mentor, praised Rubiel and predicted that he would be the next Ronnie Coleman.

More about Rubiel Mosquera

Rubiel started his career with the IFBB as an amateur, turned pro, and competed within the IFBB Elite Pro league.

Competing at various events with the IFBB Elite Pro, Rubiel was still finding his way, as a pro bodybuilder.

It was not an easy task for Rubiel, as he had to compete against IFBB Elite Pro’s top stars, such as Michal Krizio, Mika Sihvonen, Ilya Lukovets, and many more.

During his competitive days with the IFBB Elite Pro, Rubiel was a consistent top-five finisher.

Rubiel Mosquera’s IFBB Elite Pro Results

2019 IFBB Elite Pro South America – 2nd place
2019 IFBB Physique of America Cup – 1st place
2019 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships – 3rd place
2022 IFBB Elite Pro – Mr. & Ms. Europe Pro – 3rd place
2022 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships – 4th place

Rubiel Mosquera signed his new contract with Yava Labs and renewed his sponsorship with IFBB’s official magazine Muscle and Health, with IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja in June 2022.

Not long after signing his contract with IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja, Rubiel decided to switch over to the NPC, and start his new adventure with the Pro League.

It was a matter of time before Rubiel left the IFBB and IFBB Elite Pro, as Yava Labs also signed bodybuilding legend Chris Cormier and former Breon Ansley.

Rubiel went on tour with Cormier and Breon, and it would not be long before Rubiel announced he would be competing at the 2023 EVLS Prague Pro qualifier. Rubiel had no problem winning his pro card and went on to compete at the 2024 Olympia qualifier the next day.

Rubiel was the star of the weekend, placing third behind Michal Krizo, and winner Samson Dauda.

After his victory, bodybuilding legend Chris Cormier immediately labeled Rubiel as the next Ronnie Coleman.

Rubiel Mosquera with his mentor, bodybuilding legend Chris Cormier.

Rubiel walks away from the 2024 Arnold Classic

Immediately after his success at the 2023 EVLS Prague Pro, it was expected that Rubiel would get an invite to the 2024 Arnold Classic USA and UK.

In a matter of weeks, Rubiel was invited to both events. It was an obvious choice for the Arnold Classic organizers, taking advantage of Rubiel’s popularity.

This was a great opportunity for Rubiel to take advantage, of the great exposure he would gain from the Arnold Classic events.

While the majority of bodybuilders were publishing their progress on social media, Rubiel was silent, and bodybuilding pundits started to question if he would be competing at these events.

In January 2024, Rubiel put all the rumors to rest, and announced he would not be competing at the 2024 Arnold Classic events.

Rubiel Mosquera: Important Update: “Due to unexpected visa challenges and my readiness, I’m stepping back from competing at the Arnold Sports in Ohio, USA this year. My sincerest apologies to Arnold Sports and all my supporters. My journey to the stage is on hold, but the dream lives on. Grateful for your endless support, and looking forward to sharing my journey to the stage soon!”

A few days before confirming that he was pulling out from the Arnold Classic, Rubiel published a physique update, and he was clearly not in condition to compete.

Chris Cormier preferred if Rubiel Mosquera competed.

On the latest edition of “The Menance Podcast”, Chris confirmed that Rubiel is not competing at the Arnold Classic, and he did not look too happy about his decision.

Chris Cormier: “If it was up to me Rubiel would be in. I know he spent a long time away from his family, and I think when he went back to Columbia, he spent a lot of time with his family, living in a rural area of Columbia. There is no gym there or anything like that.”

Chris continued explaining, “I know he cleaned out his body, and we are supposed to meet up this week to see what we can do. I wanted him to be ready, at least close to the show, as you never know who’s going to make it to the show.”

On bringing Rubiel to the USA, Chris explained: “It’s doable to bring Rubiel to the USA, I am helping him with the paperwork, I was going to vouch for him to stay in America, but I am not going to pay from my own money to make it happen.”

Dennis James asked Cormier if his sponsor YAVA Nutrition wanted Rubiel to compete at the Arnold Classic. Chris Replied, “Yes, his sponsor wanted him to compete, but wanting and doing are to separate things, that’s all I am going to say.”

From his statement, it seems Cormier was alleging that Rubiel’s sponsor did not want to put out the money to bring Rubiel to the USA.

Later on in the show, Milos Sarcev, Dennis James, and James Hollingshead, asked Cormier to review his predictions for the Arnold Classic. Chris again confirmed that Rubiel is out. Shaking his head in disappointment Chris said, “If I was Rubiel, I would have put my foot on the gas, and gone for it.”

Even Dennis James alledged that Chris Cormier was disappointed about the situation.

Dennis asked Cormier how long he knew Rubiel was out of the 2024 Arnold Classic, Chris replied, “I know Rubiel was cleaned out, and not on anything when he was making his posts. I was hoping I could get him and help him start building, I started to lose my grip on him.”

What’s next for Rubiel Mosquera?

Chris Cormier is now planning with Rubiel, their next show for the 2024 bodybuilding competition season.

There could be a possibility that Rubiel will enter the 2024 New York Pro, but to do this, he would have to start his prep from now..

At the beginning of February 2024, the EVLS Team announced that Rubiel is a new member of their team, alongside Michal Krizo.

With this new sponsorship deal, we can expect Rubiel to compete at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro, but this event is a 2025 Olympia qualifier. If Rubiel wants to qualify for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, he would need to focus on getting himself ready for qualifying event.