It is official. Victor Martinez, the number 2 bodybuilder in the world, and the defending champion of the Arnold Classic, is out. According to reports, he saw the pictures of Phil Heath and just freaked out.

Ok, maybe not. According to Dave Palumbo of Muscular Development, who denied the rumor yesterday, has reported it is true. Victor was injured on Wednesday, January 16th when he was doing some warm-up lunges. A visit to the hospital and a quick MRI showed that Victor will need surgery on his left knee.

Here is the statement by Dave:

On Wednesday January 16th, while doing a set of warm-up lunges at his home gym in New Jersey, 2007 Arnold Classic Champ Victor Martinez fell off balance and felt something “give” in his left knee. The pain wasn’t intense but it forced him to discontinue his workout. Today, he went for an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and it was determined that he’ll require surgery to repair the injury. Victor will have one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country operating on him tomorrow morning; and, if all goes as planned, he should be home by Saturday afternoon. As a result of the injury, Victor will be forced to withdraw from the 2008 Arnold Classic and, instead, will concentrate on the upcoming 2008 Mr. Olympia. Stay tuned for daily updates!