—Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Chris Cormier were joined by special guest Blessing Awodibu on Episode 236 of The Menace Podcast. Blessing is returning to bodybuilding following an almost two-year absence, but he failed to qualify for the 2025 Olympia at the recent Legion Sports Fest Pro with a disappointing sixth place.In a frank discussion, the “Boogieman” joined the TMP gang to figure out what he needs to do next.
During the show, Blessing told the gang that his family had been in attendance in Reno, NV, for the Legion Pro, so he felt extremely disappointed with the result, but he noted that bodybuilding is all about the journey. “I know what I gotthe potential is there. I know the amount of work that I’ve put in the gym, when it comes to work, honestly, I put in that work.”
There’s no doubt that this Irish man-mountain has the size to dominate the stage, so what went wrong? “I tell you the truth,” offered the straight-talking TMP host, Dennis James. “All the updates that I saw from you, I thought you were behind. It never looked to me like you were ‘On’ for that show, that day.”
The Menace doubled down on this view, explaining that he thought Blessing’s face was too puffy to win. Taking the criticism positively, the Blessing had to agree with the brutal analysis. “At the back of my head, I knew… conditioning, it wasn’t where it’s supposed to be,” he reflected. “It wasn’t where it was in 2022.”
Blessing Awodibu must work on his conditioning to move forward in bodybuilding. Blessing won the 2022 New York Pro with an incredible display, but accepted that he was unable to replicate the same dry look in Reno that he accomplished three years ago. James noted that even in 2025, Blessing’s 2022 NY Pro winning physique would have most likely brought him victory at the Legion Pro.
Instead, the show was won by Toni Burton with Patrick Moore as a close runner-up, while the Irishman finished way down in sixth place.
“It’s because you didn’t bring the conditioning, and that’s what we judge you off,” added James, noting that his words may sound harsh, but were meant with respect. “People don’t understand how good your physique can be, and how much better your physique will look, when you are in shape,” encouraged the passionate host.
With time running out to qualify for the 2025 Olympia, it will be interesting to see what Blessing does next. To watch the complete TMP episode, where the guys also discussed nervousness on stage, the pros and cons of leg presses, and the importance of posing practice, see below.
