Jordan Did It. Now the Real Test Begins.
Jordan did it.
After everything surrounding him over the past few weeks, he stepped up when it mattered most and punched his ticket to the Olympia.
Think about the pressure he was under. A disappointing third-place finish in Italy. The social media drama surrounding his pre-show McDonald’s meal. The expectations that come with being ranked World No. 12. There were plenty of people questioning whether he could respond.
He did.
Was it easy? Absolutely not.
Could he have lost? Most definitely.
James Hollingshead played more than his part in making this one of the best battles we’ve seen all season. In fact, for Jordan to win, he had to beat arguably the best version of James we’ve seen in three or four years.
This wasn’t an off version of James. This was a dangerous James Hollingshead who brought incredible muscle, fullness and presence. If he had arrived just 3-4% sharper, we could easily be having a very different conversation today.
It’s also worth remembering that this wasn’t even the show James was preparing to peak for. His main target is the Tampa Pro in four weeks’ time, which makes his performance even more impressive.
But Jordan won’t care about any of that. Nor should he.
In bodybuilding, you can only beat the man standing next to you. When the final comparisons were over and the dust had settled, Jordan was the one with his hand raised.
Superior conditioning edged out the sheer density and muscle maturity of James Hollingshead. It was incredibly close, with Jordan taking the victory by a single point.
Now the conversation shifts to the Olympia.
Is Jordan a legitimate top-10 contender?
My answer is yes.
Will he actually achieve it? That’s a much tougher question.
If we assume last year’s top six remain in those positions, that leaves just four places available. Then you start looking at the names fighting for those spots: Tonio Burton, William Bonac, Sergey, Michal Krizo, Brandon Curry and Edward Ali. That’s six incredibly dangerous athletes, and you could make a strong argument that every one of them currently sits ahead of Jordan.
That means Jordan still has work to do.
The good news is I believe he’ll be better in October. These last two shows will have given both Jordan and his coach, Chris Tuttle, invaluable experience. Sometimes those difficult weeks teach you more than easy victories ever could.
If Jordan wants to break into that top 10, this is exactly the type of adversity he needed.
The pressure of qualifying is gone.
Now it’s all about the Olympia.
No more talk. No more outside noise. Just putting actions behind the words and proving, on bodybuilding’s biggest stage, that he truly belongs among the world’s top 10 bodybuilders.
