Bodybuilding veterans Dennis James, Jose Raymond, and Milos Sarcev took part in a roundtable discussion about the biggest names in the Men’s Open. On August 7, 2025, they predicted the winner of the 2025 Mr. Olympia contest. They also discussed the Nick Walker, Derek Lunsford rivalry, along with the best legs and worst arms among those competing.
In 2024, Samson Dauda cemented himself as the 19th athlete to earn the Sandow trophy. On the road to victory, he defeated former champions Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. Nick Walker, meanwhile, was unable to compete at the biggest show of the year for a second consecutive season.
Walker was forced to pull out of the 2023 Olympia due to a hamstring and calf tear. A year later, despite anticipation of seeing him back onstage, “The Mutant” revealed his body wasn’t responding to prep, which led to his withdrawal. He made a successful comeback at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro in second place behind Lunsford. Then, to stamp his ticket to Olympia, won his third title at the New York Pro.
Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Jose Raymond Predict the Winner of 2025 Mr. Olympia
Find their selections below, featured in the latest Muscle and Fitness YouTube video:
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- Jose Raymond: Hadi Choopan
- Dennis James: Samson Dauda
- Milos Sarcev: Hadi Choopan
Sarcev added some context, highlighting that he believes Choopan has a special package in store for the Olympia.
“I think he [Hadi Choopan] is bringing something special even though I am a Samson fan,” shared Sarcev.
Dennis James’ Top 3 Best Legs in Men’s Open
- Hadi Choopan
- Samson Dauda
- Martin Fitzwater
According to Raymond, Lunsford has the weakest biceps on the Mr. Olympia stage.
“Possibly Derek,” said Raymond. “I hate to say it, I love Derek, but honestly, that’s his only weakness. His legs aren’t as bad as his arms, and people beat him for his legs.”
He explained that Lunsford lacks the same level of biceps peak as former champions, like bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman.
“His quads have come a long way, and I think if he stays full in the way Chris and him work together, he was able to manage to do that to keep his legs nice, full, and detailed, but the arms, there’s nothing you can do about it.
You see the video floating around, comparing Ronnie’s arms to Derek’s… It’s unexplainable. I don’t know what that is. It’s a weakness.”
Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker Rivalry Discussion
They also tackled the brewing rivalry between Lunsford and Walker. James underscored that there’s real hostility between the two:
“Derek said that Nick should thank him for competing in the Pittsburgh Pro to basically give him a chance to create some hype for himself. That’s what it came across like. I think Nick answered,” shared James.
“Yeah, they are going back and forth,” adds Raymond.
“They legitimately don’t like each other,” says James.
James believes the tension has created more hype ahead of Mr. Olympia.
“I don’t think Nick cares if he wins Olympia as long as he beats Derek,” said James. “Vice versa, it’s the same. I think Derek does not want Nick to beat him; it doesn’t matter where. He was somewhat [right for saying that] yes. He’s right. That did create more hype.”
Already, bodybuilding veterans are offering up predictions for the 2025 Mr. Olympia. This included Rich Gaspari, who predicted that Dauda would likely emerge with the big win in Vegas. Beyond the throne, he argued Lunsford would carve out a spot in the top three, and Walker would take a top-five position.
With Raymond and Sarcev backing Choopan to come out on top, time will tell how the action unfolds. The 2025 Mr. Olympia takes place from October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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