The highly anticipated 2024 Arnold Classic will take over Columbus, Ohio in less than two months. In a recent Muscle and Fitness YouTube video, Dennis James and Milos Sarcev discussed the impending showdown between frontrunners Samson Dauda and Hadi Choopan.
“If it’s the same conditioning, Samson wins every time, any show,” Milos Sarcev states.
“The Nigerian Lion” will attempt to become a two-time Arnold Classic titleholder in March, but will face a who’s who of bodybuilding talent. Most notably, Dauda will participate in a rematch against former Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan, fresh off surrendering his crown to teammate Derek Lunsford. Meanwhile, Dauda finished third at the 2023 Mr. Olympia in his sophomore appearance.
Since that night, Dauda proceeded by winning the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro and EVLS Prague Pro. In light of the momentum he secured, Dauda heads into March as an overwhelming favorite, but counting out a bodybuilder of Choopan’s caliber would be a massive oversight for the budding Open Pro.
The competitors list for the 2024 Arnold Classic was made official on December 15, 2023. In addition to Dauda and Choopan, a handful of top-tier threats will be featured at the event, which includes Andrew Jacked, Rubiel ‘Neckzilla’ Mosquera, Rafael Brandao, James Hollingshead, Marcello De Angelis (Horse MD) and many more.
Dennis James, Milos Sarcev on 2024 Arnold Classic: ‘If Hadi Can’t Make It, This is a Walk Through for Sasmon Dauda’
With Dauda in the middle of preparations, Sarcev gave an update on his progress thus far. This comes shortly after Dauda revealed last week that he suffered from a hamstring injury, though had yet to offer further details.
“[Samson’s prep is going] wonderful. He has more time than last time from Olympia to Arnold. He posts the last update of the year I don’t know if you’ve seen it.
He’s looking very very good. So, he heard you guys. He heard Shawn Ray and Jay and everybody talking including Nick Walker, yeah, if he’s conditioned and spot on he’s going to be super dangerous.”
According to Dennis James, if Hadi Choopan’s ‘pending’ status doesn’t get approved for the 2024 Arnold Classic, Dauda will win the event unopposed.
“The way he looks right now… listen, if Hadi can’t make it… this is a walk-through. I don’t think there’s anybody in this lineup. In my opinion, I don’t think there’s anybody in this lineup that can be dangerous to Sasmon if Samson is on,” explains Dennis James.
Simply put, Sarcev believes Samson Dauda is the most dangerous athlete competing in the IFBB Pro League.
“There’s nobody in the IFBB this dangerous. That’s how I see it. For me, he’s the best bodybuilder out there,” adds Sarcev. “This is how you say, but in this lineup, there is still the same Andrew Jacked, he’s very dangerous. If he comes in improved, I mean, Akim Williams we didn’t see him for a while. He has thickness and size and muscularity, I mean monster right, that has shape.”
“Akim Williams cannot stand next to Samson. I don’t care,” said Dennis James. “We gotta keep it real.”
Moreover, Sarcev specified that once Dauda’s conditioning reaches that of his contemporaries, ‘nobody can touch him.’
“Samson is the best in the IFBB right now,” Sarcev states. “If it’s same conditioning, then nobody is going to out-condition him and that’s going to be a deciding factor that he loses.
Why did he lose the Olympia? You said it yourself, if he was in a little bit better condition, then nobody can touch him”
Milos Sarcev and Dennis James aren’t the only bodybuilders to back Samson Dauda as an overwhelming force in the Open. IFBB Pro League and Mr. Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy recently told Chris Cormier that Dauda was by far the most dangerous talent in the federation.
Fans continue to wait patiently for the Samson Duada vs Hadi Choopan showdown after the two shared the stage in November. Thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival pay-per-view will be free to stream from March 1-3.
RELATED: Samson Dauda Shares Champion’s Diet For 2024 Arnold Classic
Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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