With Nick Walker eclipsing the 300-pound mark in prep for his next contest, talks about his future are heating up. On January 6, 2025, coach Chris Aceto was doubtful about Walker’s comeback and believes he’ll have his hands full with Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov.
Following his withdrawals from the Mr. Olympia in 2023 and 2024, fans and voices of bodybuilding have reservations about Nick Walker‘s return to the stage. While he won his last event at the 2024 New York Pro against Martin Fitzwater, the Open landscape has changed, mainly due to Samson Dauda’s triumphant victory at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Walker must earn a qualification for the 2025 Mr. OIympia and laid out plans to compete at the Pittsburgh Pro in May. Working alongside a new coach, Walker is inching closer to the highly anticipated return, leaving some in the sport extra curious about his chances against some top-tier threats in the Open class.
Chris Aceto Casts Doubt Around Nick Walker’s Future, Believes He’ll Be Pushed by Good Vito in Pittsburgh
Given that fans haven’t seen Walker on the Olympia stage in two years, Aceto believes there’s an extra layer of doubt around his comeback.
“We haven’t seen him for two years so we don’t know what we’re going to get. Yeah, he hasn’t been on the stage that’s just the way it is. It’s like saying somebody has been out for two years and they came back… you know, Michael Jordan came back and he wasn’t the same Michael Jordan.”
He believes other competitors like Samson Dauda have continued to improve in the absence of Walker.
“He [Michael Jordan] was not his best when he came back. Of course, he regained it but the competition is not the same as it was two years ago either. I think there’s just a mix of people. Let’s put it this way, Samson who is Mr. Olympia is not the Samson of two years ago.”
Looking ahead at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro, Aceto suggests that Walker will have ‘his hands full’ with Good Vito. He will also rematch Martin Fitzwater, who has since taken third place on the Olympia stage.
“The other people who were around two years ago are better than they were two years ago. Then, of course, there’s new people, who weren’t around. I think he’ll have his hands full with Good Vito.”
“Yeah, [Good Vito is doing] Pittsburgh,” adds Chris Aceto. “Martin lost by a point. I’ll tell you how crowded the field is. Martin lost by a point to Nick at the New York Pro and the week prior, Martin beat Good Vito by a point at the Detroit. So, you got like a two-point spread between those three guys.”
Aceto believes Walker and Good Vito will both present improvements on stage, but even so, he doesn’t believe anyone is a shoo-in to win in Pittsburgh.
“For sure, probably all three will be better this year. I’m sure Good Vito will be better this year because he had all that previous year running into that show an injury. Remember when he jumped off the stage? Well, he was out for a long period.”
“I don’t think it’s a shoo-in for anyone in Pittsburgh,” explains Aceto.
In addition to Good Vito, Walker will have to get through Martin Fitzwater to earn gold in Pittsburgh, and that could prove difficult. Fitzwater has acquired significant momentum following his hard-fought victory against Chris Bumstead at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro.
While there are questions about Walker’s return, he still has months to refine and grow his physique for his upcoming show. Don’t miss full coverage of the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro here at Fitness Volt.
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