Talks surrounding the 2023 Mr. Olympia Weekend continue to ramp up before next month’s extravaganza. With a stacked Men’s Open lineup preparing to storm the stage, Brandon Curry‘s coach, Abdullah Alotaibi, gave his top 10 picks during the latest episode of Fouad Abiad’s Real Bodybuilding Podcast.
The Men’s Open division has never been more unpredictable and exciting. We haven’t had a dominant titleholder command the stage since Phil Heath‘s seven-year reign came to an end in 2018 at the hands of the late Shawn Rhoden.
Since then, Brandon Curry has tasted gold as well as the former two-time champ, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (who pulled out of 2023 Olympia). Most recently, Hadi Choopan joined the prestigious group of men after an unforgettable night in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, and Curry trailing in second, third, and fourth place.
With the show approaching in just a few weeks, Abdullah Alotaibi is back to break down the Open Bodybuilding action. Not only did he offer concrete predictions for 2023 Mr. Olympia, but he explained why Brandon Curry and Samson Dauda are the leading frontrunners headed to Orlando, Florida
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Abdullah Alotaibi Shares Top 10 Picks for 2023 Mr. Olympia, Positions Hadi Choopan To Take 5th Place
Below, you can find coach Alotaibi’s official picks for 2023 Mr. Olympia:
- Winner — Brandon Curry
- Second Place — Samson Dauda
- Third Place — Derek Lunsford
- Fourth Place — Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obiekea
- Fifth Place — Hadi Choopan
- Sixth Place — Nick Walker
- Seventh Place — Hunter Labrada
- Eighth Place — Michal Krizanek
- Ninth Place — Nathan De Asha
- Tenth Place — Behrooz Tabani
Alotaibi Gives Thoughts On 2023 Mr. Olympia Contenders
According to Alotaibi, Curry sacrificed detail for size last year, which he admits was a mistake on their end.
“I told you, the guy he’s close to me… she told me bring him bigger and bigger and bigger. I told him this guy is not freaky. He’s not like Ramy or Jay or like Marcus. I always say, Brandon is not freaky. He’s a symmetry guy. Not like Ramy. You know X-frame, I know he’s die, and always the waist is small. Too much people think when the waist is small, and it can grow like Ramy’s.”“In my heart, I saw him [Brandon Curry at 2022 Olympia] I knew I did something wrong,” added Alotaibi. “I don’t mention names.”
“Between me and Brandon, I told him, ‘Brandon, what do you think?’ And Brandon told me it’s not your job. ,I know, because we’ll never use gear a week before. Never. At all. I swear to God. I do my job. But this is not my job in my heart, in my eyes. So it’s something different.”“Six or seven months clean without anything. I promise.”
“He’s 40,” said Alotaibi. “No [he’s not slowing down]. Look, I remind you that Brandon is exactly like Dexter Jackson. Exactly, you know the physique. The physique guys like Brandon with good shape, they always stay a long time. I told you something, Brandon never uses gear all year. Brandon used gear before Olympia like maybe 20 weeks out, otherwise no gear.”
“Last year he was 253, now he’s 240. 240. He’s big like bigger than 253. Very hard because Brandon when he dries up more, it always seems more. He never seems flat. He always seems round because he’s very round you know.”“I prepare Samson for shows. Samson – he want to come with, I love Samson. Listen, in my life, when I start training bodybuilders first guy that reminds me like a fighter, like he wants to kill everyone, you have a beautiful wife, Samson is crazy. This is the giant. I wish for him the best. Samson, bro is crazy, more than me. I told him, listen, ‘You will be Mr. Olympia very soon,'”
“Can Samson Dauda win the Olympia?” asks Abiad.“Yes. Yes. For sure. Honestly. Honestly.”
“I’m a fan of Hadi but when you put the symmetry guy and the freaky at the same time, when the guy is smaller or shorter, Samson has the beautiful abs. He has shoulders, everything, he is a Mr. Olympia, same with Brandon and Andrew Jacked. I love also Derek.”
“Listen, Hadi and Derek and Nick — the three have the same physique. Listen, between Hadi and Derek… back different and waists are smaller.”“Same physique exactly. There’s so much muscle. But listen, Samson, he can put too much muscle. Brandon, we can’t put too much muscle, but same structure, the same physique. Andrew Jacked, he can put on more muscle but Samson he can put on more than anyone, honestly.”“Bigger is not better,” added Alotaibi.
“Did you see Hadi — the waist has grown, it’s bigger right? Also the legs… the left one is bigger than the right one,” said Alotaibi. “I respect everyone but I know now Hadi he grows like Brandon, every year he grows, but that growth will have stubbing, we have [it] wrong, like a break. He’s not young like 38.”“People like Hadi, he will never put too much meat. The waist is bigger, the back is too much, look, even last year, I saw the back, I sit with you. I saw him to the back double, nothing, nothing bro. Only glutes, listen back, soft, glutes. Nothing. Listen, I respect judges but judges gave Hadi the win because Brandon and Ramy come in soft,” said Abdullah Alotaibi.
“If everybody is at their best, I give him sixth [Nick Walker]. I love him and I support him. He’s a giant killer. I like him when he fights with people on social media. He makes me like, ‘Oh, I think in the future, it’s like bodybuilder in the UFC.'”
Watch the full YouTube video from the Fouad Abiad Media channel below:
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