Behrooz Tabani is an Iranian IFBB Pro League bodybuilder in the Men’s Open division — and for years, he was the best bodybuilder in the world who could not get into the room where it mattered most. 🇮🇷
Tabani kept winning pro shows and kept qualifying for the Mr. Olympia, yet US visa denials stopped him from competing in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Three straight years of watching the biggest stage in bodybuilding from home.
When the door finally opened in 2025, he walked through it: 11th on his Olympia debut, then 8th in 2026. This is his complete story — six pro wins, the visa battle, and all — fact-checked and updated for 2026. 💪
📋 Behrooz Tabani Quick Facts
| Full Name | Behrooz Tabani (listed at the 2026 Olympia as Behrooz Tabani Abarghani) |
| Born | January 5, 1993, Iran |
| Age | 33 (in 2026) |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 233–242 lb (106–110 kg) |
| Division | Men’s Open |
| Coach | Milos Sarcev |
| IFBB Pro Wins | 6 |
| Olympia Appearances | 2 (2025, 2026) |
| Best Olympia Finish | 8th — 2026 |
| Amateur Highlight | 2016 IFBB World Amateur Champion (class and overall) |
| @behrouz_tabani | |
| Status in 2026 | Active — fresh off 8th place at the 2026 Mr. Olympia |
🏠 A Bodybuilding Family in Iran
Tabani was born on January 5, 1993, in Iran, and he did not find bodybuilding by accident. His father and brothers were already part of the sport, so the gym was part of family life from early on.
He started training as a teenager and was hooked almost immediately. The progress came fast, and local and regional stages in Iran soon gave way to a much bigger target.
That target was the IFBB amateur world stage — and in 2016, he conquered it. 🌍
🏆 World Amateur Champion (2016)
At the 2016 IFBB World Amateur Championships, Tabani won the up-to-100 kg class and then the overall title — the biggest amateur honour available to him at the time.
He returned to the World Championships in 2017 and placed 3rd in his class, confirming the 2016 result was no fluke.
The pro ranks were the obvious next step. What nobody could have predicted was how long the road to the sport’s biggest stage would turn out to be.
🚀 The Pro Breakthrough: Romania 2022
Tabani’s first pro seasons were a slow build. He placed 3rd at the Romania Muscle Fest Pro in 2021 — close to the top, but not yet a winner.
A year later, at the same show, he finished the job. Tabani won the 2022 Romania Muscle Fest Pro, beating a field in which Brett Wilkin took second place. 🥇
The win earned him his first Mr. Olympia qualification. It should have been the start of his Olympia story. Instead, it was the start of a three-year wait.
🇧🇷 Arnold Classic South America Champion (2023)
Tabani backed up the Romania win in style in April 2023, winning the Arnold Classic South America in São Paulo — with perfect scores in both rounds, according to reports from the show.
The field he beat included Wellington Fernando Baptista and Emir Omeragic. On pure stage results, Tabani was now one of the most in-form Open pros outside the United States.
Once again, the win came with an Olympia qualification. And once again, as the next section explains, he would not be allowed to use it. ✈️
🛂 The Visa Years: Qualified, But Locked Out (2022–2024)
Here is the strangest fact of Tabani’s career: he qualified for the Mr. Olympia in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — and competed in none of them.
Each year, his US visa application was denied, a problem other Iranian athletes, including former champion Hadi Choopan in 2018, have faced before him. Tabani could beat almost anyone on a stage outside America; he simply could not get into America.
Plenty of athletes would have faded away. Tabani did the opposite — he kept winning. In 2024 he won the Flex Pro in Italy and the Dubai Pro, and pushed the great William Bonac to a one-point decision at the Empro Pro, where he placed 2nd.
Three Olympia qualifications, zero Olympia appearances. The frustration was obvious — and so was the physique that kept earning the tickets. ⏳
🎉 Finally: The Olympia Debut (2025)
In 2025, Tabani won the Dubai Pro for the second straight year, beating William Bonac, Tonio Burton and Nathan De Asha in one of the strongest line-ups of the season.
Then came the news he had chased for years: a US visa, approved roughly one week before Olympia weekend. At the press conference in Las Vegas, he told the room he was happy, motivated and ready to show his best — and called it one of the best days of his life.
On stage, he placed 11th in a loaded Men’s Open field on his debut. Not the placing he dreams of — but after three years of lockouts, simply standing under those lights was a victory in itself. 🌟
📍 Behrooz Tabani in 2026: Top Eight at the Olympia
The visa fight followed him into 2026. Another denial forced him out of the Empro Classic early in the season, and his appearance at the Portugal Pro was in doubt for the same reason.
This time, the story turned faster. A Chinese visa came through after weeks of uncertainty, and on July 26, 2026, Tabani won the Huanji China Pro in Chengdu, beating James Hollingshead to claim his sixth pro title — and his 2026 Olympia qualification. The result split opinion in the sport, with veteran Lee Priest publicly arguing Hollingshead had done enough to win.
In August, Tabani announced he had received his second US visa. There would be no last-minute drama this time.
At the 2026 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas on September 26, he improved to 8th place — a top-eight finish in a field won by Nick Walker, with Samson Dauda second. Five years after his first qualification, Tabani is no longer the Olympia’s locked-out man. He is one of its risers. 📈
📜 Behrooz Tabani Contest Record
| Year | Contest | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | IFBB World Amateur Championships (up to 100 kg + Overall) | 1st 🏆 |
| 2017 | IFBB World Amateur Championships (up to 100 kg) | 3rd |
| 2021 | IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro | 3rd |
| 2022 | IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2022 | Mr. Olympia | Qualified — unable to compete (visa) |
| 2023 | IFBB Arnold Classic South America | 1st 🏆 |
| 2023 | Mr. Olympia | Qualified — unable to compete (visa) |
| 2024 | IFBB Flex Pro (Italy) | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | IFBB Empro Pro | 2nd |
| 2024 | IFBB Dubai Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | Mr. Olympia | Qualified — unable to compete (visa) |
| 2025 | IFBB Dubai Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia (Men’s Open) | 11th |
| 2026 | IFBB Huanji China Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2026 | Mr. Olympia (Men’s Open) | 8th |
❓ Behrooz Tabani FAQ
How many pro shows has Behrooz Tabani won?
Six: the Romania Muscle Fest Pro (2022), the Arnold Classic South America (2023), the Flex Pro and Dubai Pro (2024), the Dubai Pro again (2025), and the Huanji China Pro (2026).
Has Behrooz Tabani competed at the Mr. Olympia?
Yes — twice. He placed 11th on his debut in 2025 and improved to 8th in 2026. He had qualified five straight years (2022–2026) but was unable to compete in the first three.
Why did Tabani miss the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Mr. Olympia?
US visa denials. Despite winning qualifying shows each year, he was not granted a visa to enter the United States. His first visa was approved about a week before the 2025 Olympia.
Who coaches Behrooz Tabani?
Milos Sarcev, the veteran Serbian coach, has guided Tabani’s preparations through his Olympia campaigns.
How tall is Behrooz Tabani?
He is listed at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm), with a stage weight around 233–242 lb — big for his height, which is why commentators often note he looks larger in person than on screen.
What did Behrooz Tabani do in 2026?
After a visa denial cost him the Empro Classic, he won the Huanji China Pro in July, received his second US visa in August, and placed 8th at the 2026 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas.
🏁 Final Word
Six pro wins. Five straight Olympia qualifications. Three years locked out by paperwork — and then, in two seasons, an 11th and an 8th on the biggest stage in bodybuilding.
Behrooz Tabani’s story is no longer about the shows he missed. At 33, with his visa path finally working and his Olympia placing climbing, it is about how far up that top ten he can go next. 🔥