At only 25 years of age, Evan Centopani swept through the super heavyweight class and then definitively captured the overall title at the 25^th NPC National Bodybuilding Championships.  Centopani is being touted as one of the best new talents to emerge in the sport since Phil Heath turned pro over 2 years ago. He just may be the "chosen one" that the sport has been yearning for after over a decade of stagnation.

BANTAMWEIGHTS:

 Dave Candy redeemed his 2007 USA loss and easily captured first place with unanimous first place votes.  Fernando Abaco challenged for 2^nd but was never really a true threat.  For his efforts, Candy will earn his IFBB Pro Card.

LIGHTWEIGHTS:

One of the surprise decisions of the night was in the ultra competitive lightweight class.  2007 NPC Jr National lightweight champion, Jeff Olcsvary, seemed to be the favorite after prejudging; however, when all the scores were tallied, Leonardo Ortiz emerged victorious by 2 points over Travis Rogers (2^nd) and Olcsvary (3^rd).

WELTERWEIGHTS:

This class was a 3-man race between Carlo Filippone, Stoil Stoilov, and Tommie Robertson.  After prejudging, it seemed as though the well-built Stoilov might be the man to beat; however, his complete absence of both a left and right biceps muscle made it extremely hard for the judges to award him with the win.  Instead, when the smoke cleared, Carlo Filippone grabbed enough 1^st place votes to snag the 1-point victory over Stoilov (2^nd) and Robertson (3^rd)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS:

Former NPC National Lightweight and Welterweight Champ, Jose Raymond, unannymously swept the middleweight class in what will finally be his last amateur contest.  Now that the IFBB has formed a new Under 202lb Weight Class, Raymond feels that he finally has the ability to make some noise in the pro ranks of the IFBB.  2007 NPC Jr USA Champ, Guy Cisternino snagged the runner-up spot with classic good looks, flawless conditioning, and a polished presentation.  Alan Bailey, the 2007 NPC Team Universe Middleweight Champ, finished in 3^rd.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:

Peter Putnam, Al Auguste, and Charles Dixon battled it out in this very competitive light heavyweight class; however, when it was all over, the 5'3", 192lb Dixon emerged victorious.  Dixon, the 2-time light heavyweight runner-up, out-muscled the competition and, despite less-than-spectacular conditioning, easily won the contest on the judges scorecard.  Putnam, the 2007 NPC USA Champion, will have to wait till next year to avenge the loss and finally sink his teeth into that much-desired IFBB Pro Card.   If 3^rd place finisher, Al Auguste, brings up his legs and shows up shredded like he did at this year's USA, Putnam may have his hands full once again.  We'll have to wait to see just who's the hungriest!

HEAVYWEIGHTS:

Brandon Curry (2007 NPC USA runner-up) and Adorthus "AD" Cherry (2006 NPC Nationals runner-up) squared off against each other in one of the most anticipated match-ups in the show.  Curry, while packing a tremendous amount of muscle on his young physique, still lacks the crisp detail and separation necessary to move on to the IFBB Pro ranks.  Cherry, on the other hand, carried himself like a true professional; never showing fatigue or discomfort, and was ultimately rewarded with nearly unnanymous first place votes.

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHTS:

When the super heavyweights took the stage in Dallas for the 25^th NPC Nationals, they were stopped dead in their tracks when they ran, head-on, into a wall of Italian muscle by the name of Evan Centopani.  Centopani dominated from start to finish and was never even as much as threatened by Gregori Atoyan (2^nd) and Real Johnson (3^rd).

FULL CONTEST PHOTO GALLERY