Search for “Fabian Rabia” and this is the page the internet sends you to. So here is the honest starting point: no bodybuilder named Fabian Rabia has ever competed in the IFBB Pro League.
The man in the photos on this page — and the athlete behind every checkable fact in the old version of this biography — is Fabiony Sylvain, a Dominican IFBB Pro bodybuilder, actor and musician. Somewhere along the way, his name was garbled as it passed from one bio site to another, and “Fabian Rabia” was born.
This refreshed biography sets the record straight. Below is Fabiony Sylvain’s real story, checked against official IFBB Pro League records: a pro card won in Colombia in 2020, a Classic Physique title in 2024, and an Olympia debut he made while privately fighting colon cancer.
⚡ Quick Facts
| Real name | Fabiony Sylvain (published online for years under the garbled name “Fabian Rabia”) |
| Nationality | Dominican Republic (based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA) |
| Divisions | Men’s Open Bodybuilding (2020–2022), then Classic Physique (2024) |
| Pro card | February 2020 — Amateur Olympia South America, Medellín, Colombia (Men’s Bodybuilding) |
| Pro wins | 1 (2024 Charlotte Pro, Classic Physique) |
| Mr. Olympia appearances | 1 (2024 Classic Physique — tied 16th) |
| Date of birth | Not published |
| Height | Not published |
| Weight | Not published |
| Also known for | Acting (Netflix’s Narco-Saints; the film A Tiro Limpio) and music |
| 370,000+ followers, according to his official website |
🌍 From an Orphanage to the Pro Stage
Fabiony Sylvain’s route into bodybuilding began about as far from a pro stage as it gets. In his own words, shared with fans during his 2024 Olympia prep, he grew up in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.
He left the orphanage at eleven years old and spent time sleeping on the street and in parks. Bodybuilding gave that kid a direction — and, eventually, a career that has carried him from Medellín to Las Vegas, and from the stage to Netflix sets.
🏆 The Pro Card — Medellín, February 2020
Sylvain turned pro at the Amateur Olympia South America, held at Plaza Mayor in Medellín, Colombia, on February 14–16, 2020.
The IFBB Pro League’s official pro-card winners list from that weekend names him as one of the three Men’s Bodybuilding card winners, alongside Colombia’s Diego Alejandro Guerra Montoya and Venezuela’s Jean Carlos Guerrero Alfonzo.
Setting the record straight: the old version of this article claimed he stepped onto a Classic Physique pro stage within 24 hours against Breon Ansley, Bryan Jones and Alex Cambronero, and qualified for the 2020 Mr. Olympia. None of that happened. Sylvain won a Men’s Bodybuilding card that weekend, there was no pro Open division at that show for him to enter, and his name appears in no 2020 pro results. The three names in the old story were real Classic stars — Ansley is a two-time Classic Physique Olympia champion, whose own story you can read in our Breon Ansley biography — but Sylvain never shared a stage with them in 2020, and he did not qualify for that year’s Olympia.
💪 The Open Division Years
Sylvain’s first documented pro appearance came two years later, in the Men’s Open division — the heaviest class in the sport.
At the 2022 Puerto Rico Pro in San Juan (June 17–19, 2022), he placed 6th in a seven-man Open lineup won by Egypt’s Hassan Mostafa, with Italy’s Andrea Muzi in 4th. Interestingly, the old version of this very article previewed that show — one of the clues that eventually tied “Fabian Rabia” back to the real athlete. You can read more about the man who won that day in our Hassan Mostafa biography.
🔄 Reinvention in Classic Physique
In 2024, Sylvain made the boldest move of his career: he dropped down from the Open class to Classic Physique, the division built on shape, symmetry and the weight cap.
His Classic debut could hardly have gone better. At the 2024 Charlotte Pro (April 6–7, 2024), he won the Classic Physique title in his first try — a unanimous champion, ahead of James Yount and Tomas Adame. The win carried the prize every pro chases: a qualification for the Mr. Olympia.
He backed it up in August with a 4th place at the 2024 Tampa Pro, behind winner Justin Badurina — proof the Charlotte win was no fluke.
⭕ The Olympia Debut — and the Fight Nobody Saw
On October 11, 2024, Sylvain stepped onto the Classic Physique Olympia stage in Las Vegas as competitor number 47, in a 55-man field headlined by six-time champion Chris Bumstead. He finished tied for 16th — a solid result for a debut in the deepest Classic lineup ever assembled. (For the full story of the champion he shared that stage with, see our Chris Bumstead biography.)
What the crowd did not know: two days before the show, Sylvain had told his followers that he was battling colon cancer — and losing blood every day of his prep. He competed anyway, calling the Olympia his love letter to the sport that had carried him from an orphanage to the biggest stage in bodybuilding. It remains the last contest he has entered.
🎬 Acting, Music and a Dominican Legacy
Bodybuilding is only one of Sylvain’s careers. In 2022 he appeared across all six episodes of the Netflix Korean hit The Accidental Narco (also known as Narco-Saints), playing a mercenary — a role that took him to South Korea for filming.
In August 2025 he was back on screen in the Dominican action film A Tiro Limpio, directed by Jean Gabriel Guerra. He also releases music on the major streaming platforms. In doing all of it, he follows a path cut by the Dominican Republic’s greatest bodybuilder — the story told in our feature on Victor Martinez, the uncrowned legend of bodybuilding.
🥗 Training and Diet — in His Own Words
Forget the invented numbers that used to fill this section (the old article had him eating 30,000 calories a day and benching 550 pounds — neither was ever sourced). On his official website, Sylvain describes his real routine simply.
He trains every day: cardio in the morning, then weight training later, spending two to three hours in the gym. His protein comes mainly from fish and chicken, with red meat only occasionally and pork rarely.
His carbohydrates are mostly white rice and sweet potatoes — Korean sweet potatoes are a stated favourite — with fruit and vegetables alongside, blueberries almost every day. He cooks his own meals and avoids processed food.
📋 Contest Record
| Year | Show | Division | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Amateur Olympia South America (Medellín, Colombia) | Men’s Bodybuilding | Pro card winner |
| 2022 | Puerto Rico Pro | Men’s Open | 6th |
| 2024 | Charlotte Pro | Classic Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | Tampa Pro | Classic Physique | 4th |
| 2024 | Mr. Olympia (Las Vegas) | Classic Physique | Tied 16th |
📍 Where Is He in 2026?
Sylvain has not competed since the 2024 Olympia, and no comeback has been announced. He has not retired, though: his official website states that he still holds his IFBB Pro status but is currently focusing on acting and creating music, while keeping up the same daily training and diet.
Based in Atlanta, he remains one of the most recognisable Dominican athletes in the sport — an Olympia-level bodybuilder and a working screen actor, built from a start in life that gave him nothing for free.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fabian Rabia a real bodybuilder?
No athlete by that name exists in IFBB Pro League records. “Fabian Rabia” is a garbled version of the name of Dominican IFBB Pro Fabiony Sylvain that spread across biography websites, including this one. The photos, career facts and contest history in this article are all his.
When did Fabiony Sylvain win his IFBB pro card?
In February 2020, in Men’s Bodybuilding at the Amateur Olympia South America in Medellín, Colombia — his name is on the IFBB Pro League’s official pro-card winners list for that show.
How many pro wins does Fabiony Sylvain have?
One. He won the Classic Physique title at the 2024 Charlotte Pro, his debut in that division, and the win qualified him for the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Has Fabiony Sylvain competed at Mr. Olympia?
Yes — once. He competed at the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia in Las Vegas and finished tied for 16th. Claims that he qualified for the 2020 Olympia are false; he never competed there.
What has Fabiony Sylvain acted in?
He played a mercenary in Netflix’s 2022 series The Accidental Narco (Narco-Saints) and appears in the Dominican action film A Tiro Limpio, released in August 2025.
Is Fabiony Sylvain still competing in 2026?
He has not entered a contest since the 2024 Olympia and is focused on acting and music, per his official website. He still holds IFBB Pro status and has not announced a retirement.
🏁 Final Word
The “Fabian Rabia” story used to be a pile of invented numbers. The real story underneath it is better: an orphan from the Dominican Republic who won a pro card in Colombia, reinvented himself in Classic Physique, won the 2024 Charlotte Pro, and stood on the Olympia stage while fighting cancer — then walked off it and into a film career. That athlete’s name is Fabiony Sylvain, and now this page says so.