There is just one week until the world’s best bodybuilders square off for gold. On October 2, bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler previewed the 2025 Mr. Olympia lineup and suggested that Derek Lunsford is in the best position to win.
In 2024, Samson Dauda became the 19th IFBB Pro to claim the Sandow trophy. The contest wasn’t without difficulty—he had to overcome Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford in the finals to make history. Instead of sitting out and waiting for his title defense, “The Nigerian Lion” got right back to work.
He stormed the 2025 Arnold Classic stage with momentum, but still fell to Lunsford. With both athletes scoring a win over each other at major contests, questions about who will reign supreme on the Olympia stage are ramping up. Beyond those two threats, the community isn’t dismissing the chances of Hadi Choopan or Nick Walker either.
Jay Cutler Calls Derek Lunsford a ‘Huge Problem’ for 2025 Mr. Olympia Lineup, Says He’s ‘in Best Position to Win’
In the YouTube video, Cutler assessed the top 2025 Mr. Olympia contenders, starting with reigning champ Samson Dauda. Cutler believes Dauda has the best physique of anyone in the current era:
“When we talk about physiques on the Olympia stage and the best balance and proportions, I think we both agree he probably has the best physique in the current crop of professional bodybuilding right now. The structure, the size, the proportions — he just doesn’t have that striking conditioning.”
Although he’s not counting out Dauda, Cutler emphasized that Lunsford is in the best position to win the 2025 Mr. Olympia. He pointed to Lunsford’s wins over Dauda and Walker throughout the season.
“Derek leading into this show… he is probably in the best position to win it, in my opinion, because he’s already won the Arnold, he won the Pittsburgh, he still has the Mr. Olympia title in his back pocket.
He did lose it to Samson, and he was third; he lost to Hadi also, but Nick hasn’t seen this stage for two years. He’s working with Kyle Wilkes, great coach.”
If Lunsford’s legs match his overpowering back, Cutler said it could be a quick night in Vegas.
“If he has the big legs with that crazy back, he’s a big problem — a huge problem for this lineup. He has beaten them and has lately.”
He added that Walker winning isn’t outside the realm of possibility, but that it will depend on how he controls his midsection.
“He’s definitely streamlined his physique to really put to rest those, hey, his shape. If he can really hold his midsection and show improvement there, with the size he has, the only thing that both these guys have to be careful of is their height-to-weight ratio is limited,” Jay Cutler said.
Cutler believes that some poses, like his back double biceps, have improved dramatically.
“I spoke to Nick recently, I said Nick, you can win this thing. His confidence is at an all-time high because he knows leading in, conditioning is not really a factor. His back shots have improved tremendously; his back double is one of the best in the show. He’s got the legs now from behind.”
While we haven’t seen Choopan compete in one year, the former four-time titleholder isn’t dismissing him or his winning formula.
“He’s already got the formula. He’s won it before. His conditioning is the formula, with the balance. I don’t know how long he’s been bodybuilding.
Remember, he came from the 212. As long as he doesn’t push his body past the limit and keep his small waist in that front double, it’s key, it’s the first pose. As long as his legs are round, maybe the time off did do him well. He’s a big superstar.”
Cutler’s long-time rival, Ronnie Coleman, also gave his assessment of the Men’s Open lineup at Olympia. He shared bold picks just days from the event. He believes Hadi Choopan will regain the title and argued that Dauda would drop to fourth place.
Should Lunsford or Choopan win the Olympia title, they will join Cutler as only the second athlete to win back the prestigious honor. Don’t miss the 2025 Mr. Olympia event, set for October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RELATED: 2025 Mr. Olympia Men’s Open Bodybuilding Preview
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