Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler is back to assess the top talent expected to swarm the second-most prestigious event of the year. In a recent Cutler Cast Podcast, Cutler discussed Samson Dauda and opened up on Derek Lunsford’s absence from the upcoming Arnold Classic. In addition, Cutler examined Chris Bumstead‘s dominance and broke down the Classic Physique lineup expected to compete in Columbus, Ohio.
In November, Derek Lunsford cemented himself as the first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia winner having already established himself as a 212 Olympia in 2021. To become the Open Mr. Olympia champion, he had to defeat his teammate Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda.
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The competitors list for the 2024 Arnold Classic was revealed last week. In addition to a stacked Men’s Open lineup featuring names like Hadi Choopan, Rubiel Mosquera, and Andrew Jacked, the Classic Physique roster was loaded with heavy hitters, which will see reigning champ, Ramon Rocha Queiroz in another showdown with Urs Kalecinski, the two men who trailed behind Bumstead following the champ’s fifth title defense at Olympia.
Cutler Talks 2024 Arnold Classic Lineup & Derek Lunsford
According to Jay Cutler, he would have considered competing at the 2024 Arnold Classic if he was Derek Lunsford. During his respective tenure, Cutler managed to win a total of three AC titles in addition to his four Mr. Olympia trophies.
“Yeah I would actually consider [the Arnold if I was Derek Lunsford],” said Cutler. “Samson is having one hell of a run right now. I mean obviously, he’s the frontrunner even above Hadi I believe because he’s the returning champ, right, I have to give the champ credit. I know Hadi has been above him the last couple shows on the Olympia stage but does Samson hold victorious here again?” asks Cutler.
Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera, who debuted in the IFBB Pro League in third at the EVLS Prague Pro, will aim to make another statement in Ohio. Cutler gave his first impression of Mosquera:
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“Chris Cormier was raving about him [Rubiel Mosquera] he was like you have to see him in person. Kevin Levrone told me,” Cutler shared. “Do you think Neckzilla can shake it up?
I hate to say Neckzilla, what’s his real name, Rubiel. Okay, let’s not be disrespectful. He’s got a lot more than a neck now for sure.”
Jay Cutler Discusses Classic Physique 2024 AC Roster & Chris Bumstead Moving to the Open
After Chris Bumstead’s interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David, Cutler reacted to the five-time Classic Physique champ insisting that he doesn’t compete for money, which was something the former Mr. Olympia could relate to.
“I know Chris Bumstead was just on Patrick B-David, and he was you know, they were talking about this $50,000 for Classic Physique and how relative it is to his mindset.
And he went on record and said it’s not really about the money right? I can promise you it was not with me until later in my career I started to think about the money when I would prepare for a contest right, but I didn’t pick or choose, like I’m not going to do that one.”
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Even if Chris Bumstead won 10 Classic Physique Olympias, Cutler doesn’t believe it would put him in the same category with names like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lee Haney.
“They were trying to talk about Chris winning 10 Olympias are nine to set the record but I think the confusion is that’s Classic Physique it’s been there a limited time. So, would you compare the track record to a Schwarzenegger or Haney, how is that comparable, yeah [it’s not].”
“They asked him if he wanted to do the Open. We had Shawn here. I said it a long time ago and everyone called me nuts. I said Chris would do well in an Open show depending on what it is.”
When it comes to the favorites heading to the Arnold Classic in Classic Physique, Cutler highlights that the competition could come down to Ramon Queiroz and Urs Kalecinski.
“You know yeah [Ramon is the favorite]. Urs [can beat Ramon] maybe. Ramon, I mean since they increased the weight cap I think he’s holding a little more. Listen, I heard mixed opinions at the Olympia on Ramon and Cbum. Cbum I don’t think dominated like he did the year prior.
I felt like Ramon – he closed that gap a little more. But Cbum’s stage presence definitely puts him head and shoulders above.”
While Bumstead pulled off his last Olympia victory with a lat tear, Cutler underscored that Queiroz is gaining ground on the longstanding titleholder.
“I’m hoping we see Ramon with a little more confident of stage presence. Listen, Urs is very polished. Terrence is the best poser in all of bodybuilding. We saw the best Breon ever almost, questionable but was he better than when he won it? I mean this is the best he had been in some time right.”
“He’s got it all around [the It Factor].”
“He’s got so many great things going on right now,” adds Jay Cutler. “Shout out to Cbum.”
Aside from ‘The Comeback Kid,’ Shawn Ray, a notable 1990s bodybuilder, recently gave his thoughts on Samson Dauda’s momentum and future. In Ray’s opinion, if Dauda manages to claim victories at the 2024 Arnold Classic and the Arnold Classic UK a few weeks later, he would be a shoo-in to win the next Mr. Olympia title.
Making matters even more exciting, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the 2024 Arnold Classic pay-per-view will be free to stream, which means this will likely be one of the most watched AC events in the history of the sport. Time will tell which contenders emerge with gold in the Open and Classic Physique categories.
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Watch the full video from the Cutler Cast YouTube channel below:
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