Ongoing debates about the 2025 Mr. Olympia results have raged since Derek Lunsford hoisted the Sandow trophy above his head. In a recent YouTube video published on Oct 15, Milos Sarcev and Dennis James discuss Lunsford’s latest triumph against the world’s best bodybuilders. They also unpacked Nick Walker’s drop to sixth place after promising to win the event.
After winning the Arnold Classic, Pittsburgh Pro, and Mr. Olympia in the same season, Lunsford completed his ‘Triple Crown’ goal. Not only is he now a two-time champion, but he became the first bodybuilder in history to rake in over $1 million in prize money throughout a single year.
His path back to the Sandow trophy was littered with obstacles. Lunsford revealed that he tore his chest four weeks before stepping onstage. He also faced off against a drier, more complete version of Hadi Choopan in the finals, making for an unbelievably close contest.
Down the ranks was Nick Walker. He and his coach, Kyle Wilkes, outlined what went awry. They explained that Walker mistimed his peak, and also noted that this was Wilkes’ first time prepping someone for morning prejudging and a night show. The landscape completely changed post-Olympia, which motivated Sarcev and James to discuss the aftermath.
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Milos Sarcev, Dennis James Defend Derek Lunsford as Deserving Winner, Discuss Nick Walker’s Lack of Condition at 2025 Mr. Olympia
In the video, Sarcev started off by saying that typically, with bodybuilding contests, there are usually three athletes who could have won. He argued that cases could be made for Choopan or Andrew Jacked winning the title.
“In every show, there is a potential couple of winners, maybe three winners. Any of the top three, if they won, it would probably be accepted. I know nobody would have a problem with Hadi winning, nobody would have a problem with Andrew winning.”
Sarcev emphasized that Lunsford didn’t choose himself to win, and said qualified judges saw him in first place.
“He didn’t choose himself a winner. He was chosen by qualified judges,” said Sarcev. “What I saw this time… he is pound for pound the thickest and widest.
I mean, those legs were almost disproportionately big. That was a weakness for him, that’s why he lost the Olympia before. You have to give him credit.”
He described Lunsford as a deserving winner but stressed that Choopan was ‘deadly,’ and could have won.
“When he spreads those lats, oh Jesus Christ, then his side chest is thick, if he has footage and he goes pose by pose, he is a deserving winner in the majority of the judges,” adds Sarcev.
“He lost finals. Hadi is Hadi. Hadi is deadly. If he won this time again, it would be no problem. I kept saying Hadi could have won five Olympias already.”
James gave Lunsford props for bringing his top form to three consecutive shows, but maintains that the two-time champ only peaked once at the 2025 Arnold Classic.
“First of all, I gotta say this because I didn’t think it was possible to peak three times. I don’t think he peaked three times. I think he peaked once at the Arnold. This package for him was exactly what he needed. I think if he would have been in the conditioning that he was at the Arnold, he might’ve not been big enough,” said Dennis James.
He added that Lunsford brought the perfect combination of size, conditioning, and fullness. Had Lunsford brought less size, James isn’t sure he would have won.
“I think it was the perfect combination for him. I thought Hadi was better on Saturday. But if you look at the points, Derek was clearly winning Friday, and then by one point on Saturday. So, it wasn’t enough for Hadi to make up the ground. That’s why he ended up in second.”
Looking at Walker’s drop to sixth place, Sarcev thought he lacked freak factor due to a lack of crazy condition.
“For him, that freak factor has to come with crazy condition and he didn’t really come in crazy condition,” said Sarcev.
James believes people online are giving Walker a hard time about letting his stomach go during the back double biceps pose. However, he doesn’t think that should count for much.
“I see everybody giving him a hard time because in his back double he lets his stomach go. He ain’t gotta worry about nobody looking at his stomach,” said James. “Why is people giving him shit, he doesn’t have to worry about his stomach, it’s his back double. People are giving him a hard time about letting his stomach go, what is he supposed to do?”
“The structural flaws will come out more if you’re not 100 percent,” said James.
The 2025 Mr. Olympia results have spurred plenty of debate within the community. Thus far, Lee Priest and Shawn Ray have both shared that they had Choopan winning the event. Meanwhile, bodybuilding legend Lee Haney found the outcome confusing. He’s calling for two classes in the Men’s Open to accommodate shorter and taller athletes.
The Men’s Open has definitely undergone some major changes in just a few weeks. Fans look forward to the next major show on the radar: the 2026 Arnold Classic, scheduled for March.
Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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