Who is the best male American professional "natural" bodybuilder now competing?

Whoever he is, we ought to celebrate him and the bodybuilders who compete against him just as much as the major muscle mags celebrate the hulks on steroids.

The problem is that we don't have major media exposure for the top natural bodybuilders. The nearest we come to major exposure is Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine. Unfortunately, that magazine is closely associated with just one of several bodybuilding leagues and doesn't give noticeable coverage of events outside its own bodybuilding association. You'll also rarely if ever see photos of bald, Black bodybuilders in this publication, which rules out many of the champions of this sport.

Maybe he's found in the NPC, but you'd never know that. As the path to becoming an IFBB pro bodybuilder, the NCP is geared toward graduating just a few people every year into this category. It is doubtful that many people ever win the Nationals without taking drugs. Natural bodybuilders in this league usually get left behind as also-rans. Many bodybuilders are beginning to understand the importance of exposure in building a career. Maybe you want to be in the movies. To get there, you have to be seen. At the moment, the best place for any natural bodybuilder, male or female, to be seen is at the MuscleManaia International Championships, held each November in Southern California.

The MuscleMania World Championships are probably where an American audience is most likely to see the best natural bodybuilders in the world.

We'll come right out and say it here—that we think Morris Mendez is probably the best American professional natural bodybuilder now competing in the United States.

Judge his quality for yourself from the photographs following this text. His nearest American competitor at present seems to be Ulisses Williams, Jr., though there are surely others out there who will soon emerge into the limelight. Here are some shots of Morris Mendez, Ulisses Williams, Jr. and the Indonesian bodybuilder Nyoman Arnawa battling it out onstage at the 2004 MuscleMania World Championships.

Who do you think is the best? We invite your comments about this in the new, moderated Yahoo newsgroup musclephotos.

We'll show you the point spread and a few additional comments after the photos.

In the final placing, the new Indonesian bodybuilder took first, with 7.25 points. Morris Mendez took second, just a quarter point away, with 7.5 points. Ulisses Jr., also from the USA, took third, with 14.5. Kofi Abrampah, originally from Ghana and in the United States for many years, took fourth with 19. Fifth went to Chris Oliver, who scored 25.5.

In succeeding months, you'll get better looks at all these competitors in new photo features based on the 2004 MuscleMania World Championships.