If Phil loses (this year or any year) he is going to throw himself off the stage in a tantrum.
Phil won't lose. IMHO, he will be given the title, then it'll be clear to everyone "if you return, it's 100% wide open next year".
We saw it with Haney. We see it a lot. We saw Iris get a win with straight 1st places this year. The CHAMP gets a nice parting gift, then it's anyone's game, and they're usually smart enough to bow out when it's time. Ronnie wasn't, and Jay wasn't.
Phil wins tonight, but it's clear now - he's been running Cutler-level supplements for 5 years now, and it catches him just like it catches everyone else. His venting at haters, calling people out for eating KFC, etc... I think that was a clear sign he KNEW he wasn't where he was last year, and maybe feeling some frustration. Whatever the case, we see his arms and thighs are a bit smaller than last year, and his belly is very hard to control. Cramping is obvious, as he's dropped a lot of water to try to compensate.
We've probably seen the best Phil has to offer, last year. He was "on" most of this year, and it's obvious now that his body is changing. It happens to everyone, nobody gets out lol. Now we see either a slow decline, or a fast one.