The 2025 Arnold Classic is coming up fast, prompting bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto to take a close look at two of the favorites. On February 2, 2025, Aceto laid out the only way Derek Lunsford can defeat Samson Dauda and gave his opinion on trans athletes competing in bodybuilding.
In 2024, Samson Dauda pulled off history as he became the first Open Bodybuilder in the UK since Dorian Yates to claim the prestigious Sandow trophy. He defeated frontrunners Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford to achieve the daring feat.
Instead of sitting back to bask in the glory of triumph, Dauda jumped right back into action. He announced his entry for the 2025 Arnold Classic, which is set to hand out a monstrous $500,000 check to its Open Bodybuilding winner. With the sport changing at a rapid pace, Aceto previewed the matchup before offering his two cents on trans athletes testing the waters in the NPC/IFBB Pro League.
Chris Aceto Reveals How Derek Lunsford Can Beat Samson Dauda at 2025 Arnold Classic, Talks Trans Athletes
Given that Dauda defeated two former Olympias in Lunsford and Hadi Choopan last October, he believes beating him will be a tall task.
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“Fans in general are pumped up for this show but I think it’s really going to come to a tipping point four days out, that this is going to happen, that the Mr. Olympia is doing the Arnold. Not only is Samson Mr. Olympia but keep in mind, he beat the previous two Mr. Olympias in that lineup.”
Aceto, who trains Lunsford, admits the only way he’s beating Dauda is if he’s at his best.
“Derek can’t beat him unless he’s at his best, that’s for sure, period,” shared Aceto. “I think that — I said it a few weeks ago, it’s two totally different physiques and I think that there are poses Derek will win and there’s poses that Samson will win.”
Ultimately, Aceto believes the judges will have to compare their fullness and conditioning to decide a rightful winner.
“And it’s going to be up to the judges to probably weigh fullness and conditioning on each physique versus the other person’s fullness and condition.”
Aceto credits the deep Arnold Classic lineup to the impressive cash prize on the line.
“You probably wouldn’t see — I mean this lineup would not be the lineup if the prize money was what it was three years ago, period, period. It is the name the Arnold Classic, which has some prestige,” he shared.
Lastly, Aceto touched on trans athletes competing in the NPC, as recently witnessed at the 2025 NPC Muscle Challenge contest.
“It’s someone who used to be a female. I have no thoughts actually on this. It’s so tiring that I can’t even formulate an opinion,” shares Aceto. “I can’t wrap my head around the whole thing yet.”
“There’s been men who won beauty pageants as females,” adds Aceto.
With years of experience coaching athletes of varying skill levels, Aceto remains one of the most well-respected voices in the bodybuilding industry. While he admits Lunsford faces a stiff challenge ahead, he does believe the former two-division Mr. Olympia can defeat Dauda with the right package.
Watch the full video from the RxMuscle – Truth in Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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