“He Was a Little Guy, I Was a Big Guy”: 5’11 Ronnie Coleman Confessed His Most Painful Defeat Was Not Against Jay Cutler but a 5’4 Bodybuilder

The champion of bodybuilding, Ronnie Coleman, never misses hitting the highlights. Given his expertise in the sport, bodybuilding enthusiasts are always passionate about him.

With many titles and achievements on the list, it’s obvious that fans see him as an inspiration. Nevertheless, the pathway to success is never trouble-free. Likewise, the muscle man too had several ups and downs in life. He carried his entire bodybuilding career with an injured back.

Back then, Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman were considered each other’s toughest competitors. But turns out Jay was never Coleman’s most painful defeat. Then who was it?

Coleman’s biggest defeat

“The King” of bodybuilding started lifting weights when he was about 24. Ronnie Coleman was a household name for every bodybuilder from 1998 to 2005. Nobody, not even a single bodybuilder, could come close to him in the sport. Nonetheless, before his ruling era began, he once lost to the 5’4 Australian bodybuilder, Lee “The Blond Myth” Priest. 

The incident traces back to 1997, just a year before Coleman collected his first Mr. Olympia title. It was the Ironman Championship, where Ronnie Coleman lost to Lee Priest. 

In 2019, the GOAT appeared for an interview and spoke about the incident. The interviewee asked him about his biggest and most heartbreaking defeat. Surprisingly, he revealed how it was not against Jay Cutler but against Lee Priest.

“My most painful would be losing to Lee Priest,” said the bodybuilding champion. “He was a little guy. I was a big guy. Kind of depressing.”

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However, nobody could stop Coleman from presenting his best self after that. For eight consecutive years, Coleman bagged the Mr. Olympia title and established his dominance in bodybuilding.

Ronnie Coleman respects his greatest competitor, Jay Cutler

Coleman considers Jay one of the sweetest guys in bodybuilding. Even though they are considered to be the toughest competitors, they have no hatred for each other. In the aforementioned interview, the muscle builder spoke about this and expressed his views regarding Jay. 

“I could lose to Jay any day,” he continued. “Jay is the lovable guy, you know. I love Jay. He was one of the best guys out there in the sport.”

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The bodybuilder also won 26 IFBB titles during the golden era of bodybuilding. Furthermore, he is the most dominant and strongest bodybuilder of all time.