Bodybuilding judge Terrick El Guindy is taking a look at some of the top names heading to the 2025 Mr. Olympia. In a recent YouTube video on March 18, 2025, he named Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, and Samson Dauda as his three favorites heading into the biggest event of the year. He also discussed the chances of a potential dynasty on the horizon.
The Mr. Olympia title picture has been a game of hot potato since Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay‘s reign ended. Hadi Choopan emerged with the Sandow trophy in 2022 only to surrender it to his teammate Derek Lunsford a year later. Lunsford, meanwhile, came up short at the 2024 Mr. Olympia, paving the way for Samson Dauda to become the 19th man to win the prestigious event.
Choopan took second place in his last Olympia showing and decided to take time away from the stage to make improvements. At the 2025 Arnold Classic, Lunsford got revenge against Dauda, giving him pivotal momentum for their Olympia rematch.
Terrick El Guindy Names His 3 Favorites for 2025 Mr. Olympia: “We Have a 3-Headed Monster”
In a recent YouTube video, El Guindy highlighted that although he has three favorites in mind, anyone can win the Mr. Olympia title.
“We have a three-headed monster, right? The three guys that have won the past three Mr. Olympias. They are the favorites. There’s no way around it. They are the favorites. Obviously, we all know anybody can go there and surprise and win. Ronnie Coleman did that in 1998. Nobody had him as a favorite.”
Derek Lunsford
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El Guindy argued that if Lunsford shows up with a similar package to what he brought in Ohio, defeating him will be a tall task.
“Derek Lunsford just won the Arnold, possibly his best physique, looked incredible, looked amazing. We don’t know if he’s going to compete or possibly just rest up and compete at the Olympia. But we know that if he shows up with the same physique he showed up with at the Arnold, he is very very hard to beat.”
Hadi Choopan
He credited Choopan as being the most consistent of the three favorites. Choopan took second place at the last two Mr. Olympia contests.
“He’s the guy that has been more consistent out of the three. He’s the one that either won or placed second when Derek won, he was second, when Samson won, he was second. He is the most consistent guy in terms of conditioning,” he states.
With anger and redemption fueling Choopan, El Guindy warned that he is easily one of the most dangerous competitors on the roster.
“He carries a beautiful density and he might be the best poser on the posing rounds when he’s between Derek and Samson. Now he’s had a whole year off, it’s exciting to see what he’ll bring to the Olympia because an angry Hadi Choopan is a very dangerous Hadi Choopan. He can come in and win the title again.”
Samson Dauda
Despite losing to Lunsford at the Arnold, bodybuilding veterans are still backing Dauda to win a second title in October.
“The current Mr. Olympia. After the Arnold, I had a conversation with Dennis James, Chris Cormier, and Bob Cicherillo, and I asked them all, after this result, who do you think is the favorite to win the Olympia? And they didn’t hesitate at all. They still had Samson Dauda going into the 2025 as the favorite to win.”
Should Dauda showcase more definition with his patented size, El Guindy stated that ‘nobody can beat him.’
“The argument was that if Samson comes in at his best, based on his lines and size, nobody can beat him. So, that is the point that Samson needs to emphasize. He’s got the lines but he needs to come in conditioned and if he does, he might be the man to repeat the Mr. Olympia title.”
As for an Olympia dynasty, El Guindy posits that whoever wins this year, will set themselves up for multiple titles in the future.
“I think, and this is me just speculating here, that whoever wins the second title, this title in 2025, can really open up for more titles in the years to come. They are all fairly young. Nobody has major injuries. Nobody is 48, 49 years old losing muscle mass on the legs.”
Even though contest prep hasn’t started, the race to win the 2025 Mr. Olympia is underway. El Guindy believes anyone could emerge as a contender, but he sees these three athletes as having the best chances of success.
Watch the full video from the OlympiaTV YouTube channel below:
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