Chris Aceto’s got a firm grasp on the frontrunners heading into the 2025 Mr. Olympia. On May 25, 2025, he compared the back double of Nick Walker and Derek Lunsford ahead of the show. He also explained why he sees Hadi Choopan as ‘almost a favorite’ for the event.
The Men’s Open landscape reshuffled itself in 2025. At the Pittsburgh Pro, Nick Walker reinserted himself in Olympia title picture talks after taking a close second behind Derek Lunsford. A week later, he qualified thanks to a dominant victory at the New York Pro.
Lunsford, meanwhile, will have more momentum than anyone heading into the Olympia. He defeated Samson Dauda at the Arnold Classic, and with his triumph over Walker on the East Coast, fans believe he could become a two-time champion when the event returns. Mystery also surrounds Hadi Choopan, who won the Olympia title back in 2022.
Chris Aceto Talks ‘Unbelievable’ Nick Walker vs Derek Lunsford, Reveals Who Could Be the Next Mr. Olympia
In the recent YouTube video, Aceto explained why he disagreed with Tyler Manion, who thought Walker won the back double biceps pose in Pittsburgh.
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“I thought Nick looked unbelievable. I think Derek was better at the Arnold, and I watched Tyler’s wrap-up and I agreed with Tyler with the exception of the back double. That would be five to four, and that’s how I saw the show, he said. “I had Derek winning the show.”
He shared that some people judge the back double off the back and biceps, whereas others might put more stock into hamstring and shoulder development.
“I just thought Derek won the back double, but maybe I was looking at it from a different point of view than Tyler’s. Maybe I was looking mostly at what they’re bamboozled with which is glutes and back thickness, which Derek had. But when you hear Tyler’s perspective, hamstring thickness and shoulders and arms, that’s a whole different way of looking at the back double.”
He emphasized that conditioning quality becomes a deciding factor when contenders at the Olympia are close on the scorecards.
“Samson versus Hadi versus Derek versus Martin versus Andrew, just the top five [from last year], I think it’s safe to say that conditioning quality starts to separate people over everything else,” he shared.
“Those three [Hadi, Derek, Samson] are very close on the judging scores so that’s where real quality, super quality comes in, which of course, look at Hadi, he’s not the biggest guy. He’s got the polish on polish on polish,” explains Aceto. “Lights out [if he had Derek’s back].”
Right after the Arnold Classic prejudging, Aceto wouldn’t outright say Lunsford would win the Olympia. In total, he believes five athletes could claim the Sandow trophy in October: Lunsford, Choopan, Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Nick Walker.
“He asked me if Derek could win the Olympia, and I didn’t say yes. I came up with five names. I said well he’s won it so it’s stupid, I guess he could. Hadi can, I came up with Hadi, Derek, Samson, Andrew, and then I stopped and paused and people laughed and I said Nick. Those are the five people –you don’t know how they’re going to come in.”
“If someone comes in too flat or too full, automatically, they’re not going to win. Of those five, automatically, if Samson is too flat or too full, if Derek is too flat or too full, the only one that’s a shoo-in is Hadi because he can come in off and still be harder.”
Out of everyone, Aceto labeled Choopan ‘almost a favorite’ to reclaim his title.
“If you handicapped him, he’d probably be almost a favorite. He’s got the history from day one of always being peeled out of his mind, even when he was 212, but those other people, they have to come in more perfect for them to be able to get by that.”
Some voices in bodybuilding aren’t as confident in Walker’s abilities. Industry expert Bob Cicherillo recently suggested that Nick Walker cannot win the Mr. Olympia title and predicted he’d place seventh when the show makes its way back to Vegas.
Chris Aceto believes the Olympia title is ripe for the taking. The 2025 Mr. Olympia contest will take place from October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dan Solomon has promised more prize money than ever before.
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