The 2025 Mr. Olympia contest is in eight weeks, and bodybuilders are ready to hit the stage. On August 13, 2025, Bob Cicherillo and Shawn Ray broke down the Nick Walker, Derek Lunsford rivalry. Then, they discussed whether Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda should compete at the France Pro.
In 2024, Samson Dauda brought a new level of conditioning that led to him winning the Mr. Olympia on his third attempt. En route to gold, he defeated finalists Choopan and Lunsford. While Choopan decided to sit out this year till Olympia, Lunsford got revenge against Dauda at the 2025 Arnold Classic.
Derek Lunsford pushed on with the season, narrowly besting Nick Walker at the Pittsburgh Pro, which hosted the Men’s Open division for the first time. This caused the rivalry between Lunsford and Walker to intensify. With less than two months before showtime, Cicherillo and Ray gave their assessment of the Men’s Open.
Bob Cicherillo, Ray Talk Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker Rivalry & if Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda Should Compete Before 2025 Olympia
In the video, Cicherillo shared that Dauda might compete at the France Pro again before the Olympia. He described it as a great move because it gives Dauda time to perfect his conditioning.
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“Samson is in full training mode. From what I understand, he’s doing pretty good, big as a house. I have heard speculation because I do believe the France show that he went into, the France Pro, which was September 14, so that’s just about four weeks out of the Olympia. He did it last year, which I thought was a great move because Samson has a tendency to come in not as streamlined as he needs to be.”
“I thought that move right there won him the Olympia last year,” adds Cicherillo. “I have heard he might do that same route again, which I’m all in favor of. I think it’s a great move.”
Ray believes Choopan should follow suit and join Dauda at the France Pro.
“Let me give Hadi some advice, though: if I’m Hadi I’d go, I’d be in France. He has an easier chance to get to France and maybe from France to the US, but for sure, if he can’t get to the US, he has a chance to get some compensation, and also on a bodybuilding stage. So, if I’m him, I’d go surprise Samson,” shared Ray.
Next, they touched on the tension between Walker and Lunsford. According to Ray, Walker is the underdog against Lunsford heading into Olympia.
“He actually said Nick should be thanking him that he actually went into the Pittsburgh Pro. A lot of people didn’t get it; I got it. I knew exactly what he was talking about,” shared Cicherillo.
“You’re only as good as the people you stand next to,” replied Ray. “Which is why he had to prove that point, and he served it up. Of course, Nick is still the underdog in this conversation because the Sandow trophy is on Derek’s mantle. The Arnold Classic is at Derek’s house.”
In Cicherillo’s opinion, Lunsford has more to prove at the Olympia than Dauda, Choopan, or Walker.
“Nick I think has less to prove this October than Derek. Derek already has a built-in excuse. I did the Arnold, I did Pittsburgh, I had a kid, he has all kinds of excuses should it not go his direction.
The one thing Derek can ill afford to do is get beat by Nick Walker. The pressure at this show I think is more on Derek Lunsford than it is on Samson or Hadi.”
It won’t just be the usual suspects hitting the Olympia stage this year. Debutants Jordan Hutchinson, Ugolnikov “Good Vito” Vitalii, and Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera will all be in attendance, aiming to knock off some of the more established contenders.
Time will tell if Dauda and Choopan choose to compete in France before Olympia. Fitness Volt will have live coverage of the 2025 Mr. Olympia, slated for October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watch the full video from the Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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