I wrote an article on this very topic for IronMag which I highly suggest you check out, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t upon this bizarre feat from 2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda. I don’t want to throw shade at the champ, but I guess I’m more lost than anything else. Samson’s rise to the top was definitely noteworthy. He was able to win the two biggest titles in physique-based sports, the Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia, but then a series of mistakes saw him take a nosedive – professionally speaking. Once he won the 2024 Olympia, he went on to compete at the 2025 Arnold Classic. That was a pretty bold move for a guy who had just won the most prestigious title in bodybuilding. He lost that contest to a previous Mr. Olympia in Derek Lunsford. From there, Samson’s reign was largely under scrutiny because it was hard to consider him the best when he had been defeated in Columbus. For the rest of the year, the champ was largely in Derek’s shadow.
After losing the Olympia to Lunsford, as well as to Choopan and Jacked, placing 4th, Dauda decided he would redeem himself at the 2025 EVLS Prague Pro. This was quite a gamble because 2024 EVLS Prague Pro defending champion Martin “The Martian” Fitzwater would be in the mix. Further to that point, Fitzwater placed 5th at the same Olympia that Dauda placed 4th. Many – myself included – thought that a case could be made Martin having edged out Samson in Vegas. Still, the recently defeated champ must not have thought Fitzwater could beat him and threw his hat into the ring. And guess what? Martin beat him.
So when I read that Samson embarked on a race to hit 160kg (or 352lbs), I was left asking WHY? Why would the former champ put his body through this endeavor? Does he plan to compete at 350? And why do it so quickly. Although he’s a taller competitor, why put his heart, gastro-intestinal system, and metabolism through such a process? It just seems like a desperate attempt at being talked about. The real way to do that is to build the best physique possible and either win another Arnold Classic or win another Sandow. The lack of judgment may be the product of not working with a big-name coach or maybe it’s just a lack of common sense. Whatever the case may be, I have to say that it was a waste of his time.
Could we ever have a Mr. Olympia at 330, 340 or even 350lbs? Sure, but at what expense? Is that the direction we want the sport to go in? I feel that bodybuilding has already lost its way from the Golden Era and the ultra-conditioned 1990’s and early 2000’s, but at 330+lbs the guys are going to look more like cartoon characters than healthy, muscular professional athletes. Maybe I’m showing my age or maybe I’m speaking to the very real need for some restraint.
Thoughts?
