The much-awaited 2023 Mr. Olympia Weekend is just hours away, and talk surrounding the event is at an all-time high. In a recent YouTube video published on November 1, Stuart Sutherland opened up on the Men’s Open lineup and gave his top seven picks for the nearing competition.
‘Beef’ Stu Sutherland is a breakout IFBB Pro League star after turning in a stellar 2023 season. At Steve Weinberger’s 2023 New York Pro, Sutherland’s dry conditioning and sculpted back nearly won him the show but he fell to the bubbly muscle volume and shape of Tonio Burton. He also impressed fans with a solid fourth-placing showing at the California State Pro.
While he wasn’t able to qualify for this weekend’s Mr. Olympia show, that hasn’t stopped ‘Beef’ Stu from assessing the roster and predicting the outcome. There have been some notable shake-ups to the Open lineup as of late. In September, former two-time champ Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay pulled out of the show, and just yesterday, Nick Walker withdrew due to a severe hamstring tear.
‘Beef’ Stu Sutherland Reveals His Top 7 for 2023 Mr. Olympia
Find Stu Sutherland’s picks below, where he also provided detailed insights into his selections.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
- First Place — Hadi Choopan
- Second Place — Derek Lunsford
- Third Place — Samson Dauda
- Fourth Place — Brandon Curry
- Fifth Place — Michal Krizanek
- Sixth Place — Andrew Jacked
- Seventh Place — Hunter Labrada
Given Brandon Curry’s status as one of only two Mr. Olympias in the lineup, Sutherland figures he will once again carve out a spot in fourth or fifth place.
“He [Brandon Curry] looks good right now. People always fucking forget about him because he doesn’t do a show all year and it’s like oh yeah, he won a Mr. Olympia, it’s like we all remember a week before the show. I have him in the top five. I think he should be in the fourth or fifth position.”
For Samson Dauda, Sutherland stressed that he needs “dug-out glutes and hams” on the 2023 Olympia stage to find success. He specified that the judging criteria might have shifted to favor Dauda since his win at the 2023 Arnold Classic.
“With Samson actually, if he doesn’t have those dug-out glutes and hams which I have never seen on Samson, hamstrings yes, but glutes, no. That hardness from behind, like it kind of takes you out of the conversation a little bit in the Olympia because that level of condition is just crazy, especially with Hadi, Nick, and Derek.”
“Samson, right… and Samson I mean, he still had not the same level of muscularity but he had those impressive lines with a similar level of conditioning a few years ago and he was in second call-outs. And now, I think it requires a shift in the judging criteria for a guy like that, obviously, he’s way bigger too which is a huge factor but it requires a shift in the judging criteria for him to bump up – to be in the conversation for a win at Olympia, that’s huge,” Sutherland said.
“Hadi yeah I think he can [repeat]. There was ton of hype around Derek — maybe I’m feeding into it again this year but there was a ton of hype on him last year because he’s got these gigantic legs and stuff and he loses some pop in the last couple of weeks. A few years ago we thought maybe that was just because he was sucking down for 212 to make weight but he’s continued to have that issue.His quads were not as impressive as Hadi’s were. His chest and delts were not as impressive as Hadi’s were. So you know, he’s losing a little something in that peaking process when he looks like the world-beater in the gym and all these pictures we’ve been seeing. He looked pretty damn good last year so there’s still a chance he might miss that fullness in the chest and the quads and so forth,” added Stu Sutherland.
“If he shows up looking like [2019] that I don’t think Derek can beat him. If Derek still has those lacking spots fullness-wise then you know, because muscularity-wise, as freaky as Derek is he’s not as dense as Hadi is especially in the back double biceps and the back lat spread I think even though he was softer, Hadi was more impressive in those poses because he just has like shit loads of muscle up and down his spine it looks like it’s four inches thick.”
“Michal Krizo… last year was like 9th last year… 12th oh my God. Yeah, that’s a guy who is – he was a little bit off at the Olympia I think now that you have some names who have left that beat him last time like Iain [Valliere]… I think he looks incredible. If a guy like Nick Walker is getting close to winning the O with just basically a combination of freaky body parts and conditioning, a guy like Krizo can do the same thing.”“If a fair look… he’s tall too which is he’s got that on Nick but he’s still got pretty close to the same level of muscularity and arguably better shape through the midsection. Maybe his glutes and hams are weak.”
“The others shows he had [Hunter Labrada] he was still a little soft. I don’t know if it was fat or water but he was peeled at these shows and that’s what we’ve all been waiting for or that’s what I’ve been waiting for. I’m a super Hunter fan now.”“I don’t think he will beat Andrew again. Just because that apparently according to the judges they were very close in Texas but based on the pictures and like we talked about.”
Watch the full video from the Muscular Development YouTube channel below:
Relive every moment from the 2025 Mr. Olympia, including prejudging, highlights, expert analysis, and full results. Explore our Olympia hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia. For minute-by-minute coverage, follow our Live Blog.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
