Phil Heath, Mamdouh Elssbiay and Top Contestants Competing at 2018 Mr. Olympia

After winning his seventh straight Mr Olympia title in 2017, Phil Heath will be attempting to surpass Arnold Schwarzenegger with an eighth victory in the 2018 edition on Saturday.

The bodybuilding competition takes place in Las Vegas, with Egyptian superstar Mamdouh Elssbiay set to challenge Heath for the top honour at the 54th running of the prestigious event. Big Ramy placed second to The Gift last year and remains the Seattle-born champion's most realistic competitor.

2008 winner Dexter Jackson will also provide competition for the Eugen Sandow Trophy, but Heath remains the outstanding athlete in the field.

Here are the vital details for the final:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 15

Time: 7 p.m. (PT), 10 p.m. (E)T, 3 a.m. Sunday (BST)

Where: Las Vegas Convention Center

The full schedule is available at the competition's official website.

Preview

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Heath's supremacy in bodybuilding remains undoubted, but the American could make history if he flexes his way to an eighth title. The 38-year-old is aiming to tie with Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney at the top of Mr Olympia's all-time leaderboard.

Haney was the undoubted king in the 1980's, with Coleman dominant at the end of the 1990's in a similar fashion to Heath's current run.

The Gift could become the standalone greatest bodybuilder in history if he takes a ninth title in 2019, but first, Heath must win number eight on Saturday to cement his growing legacy.

Big Ramy has developed into one of the most popular names on the circuit, but he's come up short to Heath before.

Generation Iron shared the moment on Twitter when Heath defeated Elssbiay in 2017:

Jackson also continues to confound pundits and critics alike, and he remains a real threat to Heath just two years from his 50th birthday.

The trio is likely to occupy the top three spots at Mr Olympia, with William Bonac threatening the primary places after last year's third-place finish.

Roelly Winklaar could be the shock placing from the field, with the Curacao native rapidly improving his reputation after a handful of impressive victories in the past 12 months. The current Arnold Classic Australia holder is ripped and ready to go, and a top-three finish is not beyond his capabilities.

However, the story remains Heath's ability to snatch an eighth title, and he has improved his definition since winning last year. That may have seemed impossible, but the champion is one of the most motivated competitors in the history of the sport.

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Elssbiay is the man who could spoil Heath's expected victory parade. Big Ramy has consistently climbed the ranks at annual Mr Olympia editions, but the final step will be the hardest—with Heath everyone's favourite.