It’s the million-dollar question: when will we see Nick Walker back onstage? In a recent YouTube video on May 4, 2026, bodybuilding veteran Fouad Abiad, who once sponsored Walker, predicted that “The Mutant” will compete at the Texas Pro this August.
Walker restored his hype after dropping to a career-low sixth-place finish at the 2025 Mr. Olympia. The aftermath was anything but pretty; he fired his ex-coach, Kyle Wilkes, who admitted post-show that they had mistimed Walker’s peak.
Wasting no time, Walker pushed all-in at the 2026 Arnold Classic, navigating his career without a coach. His decision was a game-changer – Walker presented an all-time best look in Ohio, and pushed champ, Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea, despite his lack of stature and aesthetics.
Fans want Walker back on stage ASAP, but the bodybuilding star dispelled any rumors about battling at the New York or Pittsburgh Pro. Now, it appears some in the community think Walker’s next destination will come in the Lone Star State.
Fouad Abiad Predicts Nick Walker’s Next Contest: “It’s Going to Be Texas”
In the video, Abiad made mention of Walker’s leanness despite supposedly heading into an off-season.
“The thing I see from this off-season, Nick is not usually one to get heavy in the off-season, but the thing I see most, he looks like he’s staying even leaner. Nick knows the thing he has to work on the most to get him ahead is that waist.”
“I think he knows it doesn’t serve him well. He doesn’t really need anymore muscle. Nobody is looking at Nick and being like oh he could use more mass.”
He added that bulking up shouldn’t be on Walker’s radar; instead, he wants him to focus on correcting his midsection control, a long-standing criticism.
“So I think it’s not going to serve him well to get big and bulky in the off-season. He doesn’t look like he’s much over his contest weight. He’s keeping that waist in check. I think he’s probably doing vacuums every day, and it looks like he’s trying to correct something that keeps on coming up time after time,” Fouad Abiad said.
Given Walker’s reputation and strength in the league, he could pick just about any Open Pro show he wants. Ultimately, Abiad hopes to see Walker back on the Olympia stage.
“The nice thing, too, about Nick looking like he’s only a few pounds of contest weight, he can jump in anywhere. Now that he’s not in Pittsburgh. I’m going to say he jumps into Texas.
That’s my prediction. I’m just fucking hoping he gets onstage because I want to see him at Olympia. If Nick jumps on stage, it’s going to be Texas. Nick wants to be on a prestigious stage, let’s be real.”
Even though he doesn’t have a contest lined up, Walker’s not only staying lean, but he’s eating remarkably clean. He has very few cheat meals and recently broke down his off-season 3,857-calorie full day of eating. Even when he doesn’t have something lined up, he conducts his career like a robot, as noted by Abiad in the past.
Abiad believes Nick Walker might jump into the loaded 2026 Texas Pro show. The event is scheduled from August 14-15 in Irving, Texas.
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