Four-time women's bodybuilding champion Sarah Villegas recently granted an exclusive interview to USA TODAY Sports about a massive controversy that's shaken up her sport. She has accused rival Natalia Coelho of getting injected with a Plexiglas substance to build fake "plastic" muscles before winning the Ms. Olympia event for best women’s physique in 2025.
She made this claim after obtaining unsolicited "firsthand" information about it from a licensed health professional at the clinic in Brazil where the procedure allegedly took place. USA TODAY reviewed this information and confirmed with this person that they shared it with Villegas. The person didn't want to be identified for fear of retaliation.
Bodybuilding’s response raises more questions
Coelho hasn’t denied or confirmed the allegation and didn't return messages seeking comment. Coelho again won the crown for best physique at Ms. Olympia in September, beating Villegas for the second year in a row. The Olympia event is the "Super Bowl" of pro bodybuilding.
Here is the interview with Villegas.
What caused you to suspect this with Natalia Coelho?
Villegas: I first became suspicious and spoke up publicly on this when I noticed what I thought was an abrupt change in Natalia Coelho's legs at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro, just a few months before the 2025 Olympia. I was still the reigning and defending Olympia Champion at the time.
I had noticed that her legs changed their natural genetic shape, and displayed what I thought was a humanly impossible change in volume in a very short period of time.
Why did you go public initially?
(Villegas posted a message on Instagram about her suspicions last year and followed up with more after that. Some described her as a "sore loser" in response.)
Villegas: I went public to bring attention to what I think is an existential issue. Existential to the future of the sport of bodybuilding and to the future of my own career.
In my opinion, the sport of bodybuilding will not survive for long if a world champion can stand on stage displaying muscles that aren't actually muscle.
Did you suspect it was PMMA (Plexiglas) before getting information about it from the clinic worker?
(PMMA is polymethyl methacrylate, also known commercially as Plexiglas. PMMA microspheres have been used for dermal filler treatments in some countries but recently were banned for that purpose in Brazil.)
Villegas: No I did not. Before the doctor came forward to me, I thought it was site enhancement oil.
You first brought the PMMA allegations to the attention of the IFBB Pro League privately?
(The IFBB Pro League is the sport’s governing body and was originally known as the International Federation of Body Builders.)
Villegas: Shortly after the 2025 Mr. Olympia competition, my coach, Ali Taktak, spoke privately with the IFBB Pro League's leadership about this in December 2025, seeking their intervention, and shared the information we had received from the doctor.
What was their reaction and what did they say?
Surprisingly, the IFBB Pro League stated that it has no rules prohibiting PMMA plastic muscle implants and that "no one is asked to submit a resume of what they did to attain their physique before stepping on stage."
(The IFBB Pro League and its president, Jim Manion, didn’t return several emails and calls seeking comment.)
For those who might say this is a baseless accusation, are you certain about it?
Villegas: I've made my statements based on detailed information I was provided by a vetted medical professional who shared their firsthand knowledge of Natalia's procedures with me, and based on my personal observations. It all reinforced concerns I had raised long before this doctor ever contacted me.
Has Natalia Coelho denied it to you or confirmed it?
Villeagas: No, Natalia has never reached out to me to confirm or deny it.
Have you ever heard her deny it or confirm it?
Villegas: No.
(In September, Coelho addressed the matter in a public forum, saying "If I get into that, I'm not doing any good for the sport.")
For those who haven’t been following this, why should this matter?
Villegas: First, because of the obvious, devastating health risks of PMMA being used intramuscularly. Second, this is an existential threat to the sport of bodybuilding.
Allowing artificial muscle implants to infiltrate bodybuilding completely undermines the very foundation of the sport. Bodybuilding is about building muscle, and building muscle requires human effort.
Years and decades of human effort. If we bypass that effort entirely with an instantaneous workaround, are we even bodybuilding anymore?
Imagine your kids discovering that their superhero's muscles weren't real. Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger winning Mr. Olympia with muscles made of plastic implants instead of actual human muscle that he built.
If you respect discipline and hard work, and if you care about sports integrity, this should matter to you.
Honestly, it feels like a bizarre world to me right now. I can't believe I have to explain why plastic muscle implants have no place in a sport founded on building actual muscle through human effort.
It's called bodybuilding, not plastic building.
If we don't combat this, we risk destroying the very foundation of bodybuilding and transforming it forever into a cosmetic competition where physiques are created through appointments with doctors rather than years of human effort.
At that point, it becomes a competition of who has the best cosmetic surgeon.
Some of your critics have noted bodybuilders historically have used enhancers such as steroids. Why is this different?
Villegas: Because plastic is not muscle.
Professional bodybuilders take years and decades to build their physiques, not hours. Artificial muscle implants have nothing to do with building actual muscle.
Bodybuilding is centered around human effort. It's not built around making an appointment with a cosmetic surgeon for effortless overnight gains. That's not what bodybuilding should become.
Some of those same critics have questioned what substance you might be using. What do you say to that?
Villegas: I hear those voices. Professional bodybuilding is definitely imperfect, and I don't claim to be otherwise. But the muscle on my body is muscle that I had to build. I had to train for nearly two decades to build it, and that's a distinction I'm not willing to compromise.
I don't think anyone should try to find a justification for plastic muscle implants. PMMA and artificial muscle implants undermine the very founding principle of the sport: building muscle.
Did you build your muscle, or did a doctor implant it for you?
If we accept this, bodybuilding becomes about instantaneous size achieved in hours through a skilled cosmetic surgeon, rather than years and decades of human effort. It took me decades to build my physique.
Let me repeat that: DECADES. Bodybuilding can't become the sport of who's got the best cosmetic surgeon. That's indefensible.
What should be done about this issue?
Villegas: Regulate it. Enforce a rule that disqualifies a bodybuilder who implants fake muscle instead of building it. Preserve the integrity of bodybuilding. Keep bodybuilding about building real muscle. Keep it about human effort. Medical imaging can help identify artificial muscle implants and enforce that standard.
What is the worst reaction you've received since making this allegation?
Villegas: The worst reactions were the collective targeted attacks from media figures of the Mr. Olympia organization. But the one reaction that stands out most came specifically from Mr. Olympia team representative and master of ceremonies Bob Cicherillo. He publicly said that I should “take my ball and go home” and go “start my own league that tests for PMMA plastic muscle implants” if I didn't approve of the practice.
As the all-time winningest Women's Physique Olympia World Champion, it was shocking to me to receive this response from Olympia staff members for raising concerns about fake muscle implants.
(Cicherillo publicly made such comments on his podcast. He didn’t return a message seeking comment.)
Is there more criticism or support for you since you came forward?
Villegas: I've received both criticism and support, but I would say the support has been greater. But unfortunately, a portion of that support happens behind closed doors, as many people have become afraid to voice their support publicly after witnessing the aggressive public attacks against me by influential figures within the Olympia establishment. It sends a message to everyone else about what could happen to them.
Though the criticism against me for speaking up has been vicious, I welcome that criticism as much as I welcome the support if it means I can help preserve the integrity of the sport. I really want to protect the sport that I love so much. I want to protect the up-and-coming generation. I want bodybuilding to grow, not be destroyed. I'm a fighter, and I'm okay. I recognize that this fight is now bigger than me and bigger than just a championship, and it's a price I'm willing to pay.
Why else is this issue important to you?
Villegas: Kids do what they see their heroes do. Young, aspiring bodybuilders look up to Olympia champions as their superheroes. They admire these champions, idolize them, and want to follow in their footsteps. I looked up to Arnold (Schwarzenegger) growing up.
When dangerous PMMA plastic muscle implants become associated with success at the highest level of bodybuilding, it sends the wrong message to young people and everyday gymgoers who may try to emulate their idols.
We're talking about real people, real health risks, and potentially life-altering consequences.
This is no longer just about who wins a bodybuilding competition. It's about the responsibility we have to protect the next generation from this dangerous practice being normalized at the highest level of the sport.
The consequences of this extend far beyond the Olympia stage.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘It’s called bodybuilding, not plastic building’: Champ alleges fake muscles
