Attention around the next Mr. Olympia contest is heating up. On April 17, 2025, coach Abdullah Alotaibi gave his top five picks for the event set for October 9-12. In addition, Dennis James and Milos Sarcev offered their thoughts on the lineup.
The Men’s Open hierarchy has been changing rapidly. In 2024, Samson Dauda emerged as the newly crowned Mr. Olympia champion after a close battle with Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. Lunsford’s drop to third left a bitter taste in his mouth, prompting him to jump into the 2025 Arnold Classic.
At the event, Lunsford upset reigning Olympia winner Dauda with better condition and fullness. The former two-division Olympia champ decided to jump into the Pittsburgh Pro instead of using the time to prepare for the Olympia. Now, with the event less than six months away, voices of bodybuilding are giving their take on who might leave Sin City with gold once again.
Coach Abdullah Alotaibi Reveals His Top 5 Men’s Open Picks for the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Dennis James & Milos Sarcev Discuss the Lineup
In a recent Muscle and Fitness YouTube video, Alotaibi offered his top five picks for the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
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- Winner — Derek Lunsford
- Second Place — Hadi Choopan
- Third Place — Nick Walker
- Fourth Place — Samson Dauda
- Fifth Place — Andrew Jacked/Brandon Curry
Alotaibi went as far as to suggest that Lunsford would capture gold at the Pittsburgh Pro and Mr. Olympia, which would mean winning every show he participated in this year.
“He can beat Olympia and Pittsburgh, three shows this year,” says Abdullah Alotaibi.
“So you’re putting money that Derek is going to win all three shows this year,” asks Dennis James.
“Yes,” replied Alotaibi. “No one respected me when I told on your broadcast that Derek would beat Samson and then he beat them. This is my eyes.”
He adds that linking up with coach Chris Aceto factored into his prediction.
“Some people need three shows, some people need one show, like Hadi, but I know Derek is hungry and younger. He can come into three shows at his best,” he shared. “This time, it’s good because he has a new coach.”
Milos Sarcev argued that Choopan would need a more detailed back along with a better hamstring-glute tie-in to make a push for gold in October.
“He needs to bring that crazy back striations and hamstring-glutes tie-in and I’m sure that this is his whole purpose the whole year to work on that,” explains Sarcev.
Despite his loss to Lunsford in Ohio, Dennis James warned that Dauda will take this prep more seriously than ever to retain his title.
“We still can’t forget that Samson is still Mr. Olympia. He’s the champ. He’s not doing Pittsburgh and he’s doing everything he needs to do in order to rest enough to be ready at the Olympia and he knows, I think he knows he’s going to have to take the Olympia the most seriously as ever,” shared Dennis James.
The 2025 Mr. Olympia is shaping up to be an unpredictable event. Following Andrew Jacked’s victory at the 2025 FIBO Championships, judge Terrick El Guindy maintains that he’ll be tough to take down on the horizon. Meanwhile, former two-time titleholder, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay announced that there is an 80% chance he makes his comeback at the prestigious contest.
Even with names like these complicating the title picture, Alotaibi is confident Lunsford will peak successfully at his next two shows and lay claim to his second Mr. Olympia title when the event makes its return.
Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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