"Mike should've won" - Jay Cutler on Mike Mentzer quitting after losing the 1980 Mr. Olympia to Arnold Schwarzenegger

Jay Cutler is surely a fan favorite among the followers of bodybuilding and has a huge fan following across the globe. He had one of the most successful careers in bodybuilding in the modern era of the sport.

Cutler grabbed the spotlight in the open division during the late '90s and 2000s with his impressive physique. He won three consecutive Arnold Classic titles from 2002 to 2004 and impressed everyone in the Mr. Olympia competitions.

He finished as a runner-up four times in Mr. Olympia competitions from 2001 to 2005. In all four of those instances when Jay Cutler finished as the runner-up, Ronnie Coleman was crowned the champion. The three-time Arnold Classic winner was finally able to dethrone Coleman at the 2006 Mr. Olympia to win his maiden Mr. Olympia title.

Jay Cutler won a total of four Mr. Olympia titles in his career and is one of the fewest bodybuilders to retire from the sport without any major injuries to date. He also maintains an appreciable physique even after retirement.

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the four-time Mr. Olympia title winner spoke about Mike Mentzer, who quit bodybuilding after losing the 1980 Mr. Olympia title to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cutler said:

"Mike Mentzer claims he should have won the 1980 Mr. Olympia in Sydney and Arnold won. They were talking about how controversial it was and he was saying how he quit bodybuilding after because he got fifth at that show and I did hear from people that were there that Mike should’ve won."

The four-time Mr. Olympia title winner further spoke about Mentzer's story. Jay Cutler said:

"He got into bodybuilding at 11, picked up a magazine, saw a photo, and he was hooked after that. He bodybuild for a while, he was great, competed for his first show at 18, did really well as a teenager but then he got injured. So, he stepped away from competition."

He added:

"Then, he ended up competing and did the Mr. America. Robbie Robinson was second and some Roy was first. Eventually, he leads to the Olympia stage. Back then they had over 200 and under. I believe he might have won the division but didn’t win the overall and the overall winner is the one that carried the title. It was Franco that year. So he may have won one of those."

The 1980 Mr. Olympia was hugely controversial as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had retired from bodybuilding, returned from retirement a day before the 1980 Mr. Olympia and competed in the competition. He eventually won the title. Mike Mentzer finished in fifth place, and this was the last time he competed in professional bodybuilding. He quit bodybuilding post the 1980 Mr. Olympia.

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Jay Cutler discusses Sergio Oliva's ban and his loss to Arnold Schwarzenegger

Jay Cutler spoke about Sergio Oliva, a three-time Mr. Olympia title winner and the only bodybuilder to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Mr. Olympia stage. Cutler opened up about the lack of elite competition Arnold Schwarzenegger faced at the Olympias in the early '70s.

The four-time Mr. Olympia title winner said:

"They were talking about Arnold and how he wasn’t contested in the early 70s, I forget what year it was, he had no one in the competition because Sergio got disqualified because they competed in some show like Bill Pearl and he wanted to go against him.

"He said after that politics were it but he was talking about his heavy duty training, how Lee Labrada endorsed it, David Dearth, Aaron Baker also said was an advocate of it. I was watching something else on Sergio Oliva and how he really should’ve won one year and Arnold actually admitted it. I think it was one of the early 70s show."

Though several years have passed by, the talks about the competitions in which a particular bodybuilder should have won continue even today. Since Jay Cutler is maintaining a fantastic physique even in his retirement, some of his fans are urging him to return to bodybuilding with the 2023 Masters Olympia.