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    Mr. Olympia 2017 Results: Phil Heath Ties Arnold Schwarzenegger with 7 Titles

    Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistSeptember 17, 2017

    2012 Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath, poses for a portrait Wednesday, September 18, 2013, in Los Angeles. Heath's quest for the Olympia title is the focal point of director, Vlad Yudin's bodybuilding documentary,
    Nick Ut/Associated Press

    Phil Heath won his seventh straight Mr. Olympia title, tying Arnold Schwarzenegger with seven career titles in the prestigious bodybuilding competition.

    Only Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman have more career titles with eight.

    The 37-year-old outdueled Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay in a close battle for first place Saturday night in Las Vegas.

    Here is a look at the top five from the main event:

    1. Phil Heath

    2. Mamdouh Elssbiay

    3. William Bonac

    4. Dexter Jackson

    5. Shawn Rhoden

    Heath entered as the favorite after winning each competition of this decade. His consistency year in, year out made him the obvious choice most seasons.

    However, Elssbiay came in strong and made it a legitimate fight for the 2017 title.

    The two top competitors were side-by-side early on, and it was clear one of these two would be taking home the top prize:

    Dan Hevia @DanHevia

    @PHILHEATH Has to boil down to one of these two. #Olympia2017 https://t.co/4kgjZuQvOY

    Mr. Olympia 2017 Results: Phil Heath Ties Arnold Schwarzenegger with 7 Titles
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    GENERATION IRON @GenerationIron

    Phil Heath VS Big Ramy #olympia2017 https://t.co/eoIPX3Ozdi

    Dan Hevia gave his thoughts on Big Ramy:

    Dan Hevia @DanHevia

    Big Ramy with a good show. Looked confident and comfortable. #Olympia2017

    Marc Lobliner of TigerFitness.com put his money on Heath:

    Marc Lobliner @MarcLobliner

    After looking at comparison pics, I change my mind. Phil Heath based on pics is a clear winner IMO mainly because his back destroys Ramy

    While there were impressive showings from others on the stage, including William Bonac, who passed some more established competitors to earn a third-place finish, it ended up coming down to the expected two.

    Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made the call, naming Heath as the champion for the seventh year in a row.

    Generation Iron captured the emotion from the veteran after earning the win:

    GENERATION IRON @GenerationIron

    Phil Heath wins 7th 🏆 Mr.Olympia ⭕️ #olympia2017 - Big Ramy take 2nd... https://t.co/kvURZ34LRP

    Heath is now one win away from tying the all-time record of eight wins held by Coleman and Haney, making it a near certainty he will be back going for the win in 2018. However, the 33-year-old Elssbiay and others will be gunning for the title next time around.