Most bodybuilders wait years between earning a pro card and winning a pro show. Jo Uezato needed one day. 🇯🇵
The Japanese Men’s Physique star won his IFBB Pro card on 25 November 2023 — and won his pro debut, the Japan Pro, the very next afternoon.
Since then he has added pro titles in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and stood on the Mr. Olympia stage twice. This is his fully updated biography, rebuilt for 2026 from official contest records. 💪
📋 Jo Uezato Quick Facts
| Full Name | Jo Uezato |
| Nationality | Japanese 🇯🇵 |
| Division | Men’s Physique |
| Pro Status | IFBB Pro League — pro card earned November 2023 |
| Pro Wins | 3 — Japan Pro 2023, Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro 2025, DC Pro 2026 |
| Mr. Olympia Appearances | 2 — 2024 (14th) and 2025 (tied 16th) |
| Status in 2026 | Active — four pro shows in 2026, including the DC Pro title |
| Date of Birth / Height / Weight | Not published by primary sources — see the FAQ below |
🏆 Who Is Jo Uezato?
Jo Uezato is a Japanese IFBB Pro League competitor in Men’s Physique, the board-shorts division judged on an athletic upper body, a small waist and polished presentation.
He is one of a small group of Japanese athletes — alongside countrymen such as Junpei Taguchi — who have carried Japan’s flag onto the Olympia stage in this division.
His game is conditioning and presentation: a tight waist, wide shoulders and posing that never looks rushed.
What makes his story unusual is how fast it happened. His entire amateur breakthrough, pro card and first pro title all landed inside a single year — 2023.
🎟️ 2023: The Year Everything Happened
Uezato’s rise began on the Japanese amateur circuit in the spring of 2023. On 3 May he won his class at the NPC Worldwide Blaze Championships.
Two weeks later he stepped up a level, taking 2nd at the NPC Worldwide Hidetada Yamagishi & Iris Kyle Japan Classic on 21 May 2023.
Then came the weekend that changed everything. On Saturday 25 November 2023, Uezato won the NPC Worldwide Olympia Amateur Japan — and with it, his IFBB Pro card. ✅
Most new pros take a season to find their feet. Uezato walked into the IFBB Japan Pro the next day, Sunday 26 November, and won it — beating South Korea’s Yoon Sung Lee and China’s Juxian He in his professional debut.
A pro card on Saturday. A pro title, and an Olympia qualification, on Sunday. Few debuts in Men’s Physique history can match it.
🎰 2024: The Olympia Debut
The Japan Pro win sent Uezato to the biggest stage in the sport: the 2024 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas.
In a Men’s Physique field of more than sixty athletes, he placed 14th — a remarkable result for a man who had been an amateur eleven months earlier.
He shared that stage with the division’s elite, in the contest won by Ryan Terry — finishing clear of the tied-16th group, which included Brazil’s Guilherme Gualberto and Japan’s own Farouq Ishimoto.
🥇 2025: Atlanta Champion and a Second Olympia
Uezato’s second pro title came on American soil. On 16 August 2025 he won the Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro, ahead of Mehdi Kabbadj and Mario Stewart.
The win made him the fourth athlete from Japan to qualify for the 2025 Men’s Physique Olympia, and it confirmed his Japan Pro victory was no home-stage fluke.
At the 2025 Olympia in October he finished in the tied-16th group — and his score of 78 was the best mark inside that group, a single step outside the top 15.
The title that year went to Ryan Terry again, with Edvan Palmeira of Brazil finishing fifth — the level Uezato is now chasing.
📋 Jo Uezato Full Contest Record
| Date | Contest | Division | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2023 | NPC Worldwide Blaze Championships | Men’s Physique (amateur) | 1st 🥇 |
| May 21, 2023 | NPC Worldwide Hidetada Yamagishi & Iris Kyle Japan Classic | Men’s Physique (amateur) | 2nd 🥈 |
| Nov 25, 2023 | NPC Worldwide Olympia Amateur Japan | Men’s Physique (amateur) | 1st 🥇 — earned IFBB Pro card |
| Nov 26, 2023 | IFBB Japan Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🥇 (pro debut) |
| Oct 12, 2024 | IFBB Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 14th |
| Aug 16, 2025 | IFBB Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🥇 |
| Oct 10, 2025 | IFBB Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 16th (tied) |
| Jun 6, 2026 | IFBB DC Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🥇 |
| Jun 20, 2026 | IFBB Body Be 1 Pro | Men’s Physique | 7th |
| Aug 22, 2026 | IFBB Asian Pro Championships | Men’s Physique | 6th |
| Aug 29, 2026 | IFBB Houston Pro | Men’s Physique | 6th |
Record source: NPC News Online official contest database (Jo Uezato athlete contest history), cross-checked against IFBB Pro League scorecards published by Fitness Volt, Generation Iron and BarBend.
🟢 Jo Uezato in 2026: Active and Winning
Uezato is an active IFBB Pro — 2026 has been his busiest season yet, with four pro shows.
The highlight came on 6 June 2026, when he won the DC Pro in Washington, D.C. with a perfect score of 3 points. Behind him were Brazil’s Diogo Basaglia in second and fellow Japanese pro Junpei Taguchi in third.
He followed it with 7th at the Body Be 1 Pro on 20 June, then 6th at the Asian Pro Championships on 22 August and 6th at the Houston Pro on 29 August.
The DC Pro win qualified him for the 2026 Mr. Olympia. The official 2026 Olympia scorecard, however, does not list his name among the competitors — so while he earned the spot, he does not appear to have competed at the 2026 Olympia, and no reason for the absence has been published by the sources checked for this update.
There is no retirement announcement, and dedicated searches found no report of one. Uezato remains one of Japan’s most successful Men’s Physique pros. 💪
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jo Uezato?
Jo Uezato is a Japanese IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique bodybuilder. He has won three pro shows — the 2023 Japan Pro, the 2025 Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro and the 2026 DC Pro — and competed at the Mr. Olympia in 2024 and 2025.
When did Jo Uezato earn his IFBB Pro Card?
On 25 November 2023, by winning the NPC Worldwide Olympia Amateur Japan. The very next day he entered the IFBB Japan Pro and won it, scoring an Olympia qualification in his professional debut.
How many pro shows has Jo Uezato won?
Three: the Japan Pro (November 2023), the Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro (August 2025) and the DC Pro (June 2026), where he won with a perfect score.
What is Jo Uezato’s best Mr. Olympia result?
14th place at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. He returned in 2025 and finished in the tied-16th group, with the best score inside that group.
Did Jo Uezato compete at the 2026 Mr. Olympia?
He qualified by winning the 2026 DC Pro, but his name does not appear on the official 2026 Olympia scorecard, and no reason for the absence has been published. He competed four times in 2026, most recently at the Houston Pro on 29 August 2026.
What are Jo Uezato’s age, height and weight?
They are not officially published. No primary source — the IFBB Pro League, NPC News Online or Uezato himself — lists a verified date of birth, height or stage weight, so this page does not print the unsourced numbers that circulate on biography sites.
🔥 Final Thoughts
A pro card on Saturday and a pro title on Sunday. An Olympia debut inside a year. Pro wins on three different stages — Tokyo, Atlanta and Washington.
Jo Uezato’s record is short, but almost every line of it is a highlight.
The next step is the one that has eluded him so far: a place inside the Olympia top 10. On the evidence of his 2026 season, he is still moving towards it. 🇯🇵