With just two weeks to go before the 2025 Mr. Olympia, bodybuilders are making their predictions. On Sept. 25, reigning two-time 212 Olympia Keone Pearson revealed his top picks for the Open Bodybuilding division.
Most in the community believe the ‘big four’ are the most likely candidates to earn the Olympia title—that includes reigning champion Samson Dauda, former titleholders Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan, along with wildcard Nick Walker.
Earlier in the season, fans got to see how Lunsford could respond to adversity after dropping to third at the Olympia. He challenged Dauda at the 2025 Arnold Classic and nailed his peak to come out on top. He also pulled off a close win over Walker at the Pittsburgh Pro. This forced Walker to enter the New York Pro. At the event, he cruised to a victory with arguably a better package than he displayed in Pittsburgh.
But it’ll take more than size to topple Dauda, as the champion has already given fans a sneak peek of what he’s bringing to the Olympia. “The Nigerian Lion” guest posed in Romania, showing off never-before-seen conditioning levels. The performance left prominent voices like Milos Sarcev and judge Terrick El Guindy shocked.
Unlike Dauda, Lunsford, and Walker, we haven’t seen much from Choopan in the lead-up to the contest. He finally arrived in the US just three weeks before stepping onstage, and immediately got a training session in with Hany Rambod. It’s anyone’s title heading into Vegas, leading Pearson to lay out his vision for the biggest show of the year.
Keone Pearson Predicts Top 6 Open at the 2025 Mr. Olympia
Find his picks from the video below:
- Winner — Samson Dauda
- Second Place — Nick Walker
- Third Place — Hadi Choopan
- Fourth Place — Andrew Jacked
- Fifth Place — Derek Lunsford
- Sixth Place — Martin Fitzwater
Though Pearson will not be testing himself at the Open Olympia this year, that could change in 2026. He announced that he will make his Men’s Open debut at the upcoming Prague Pro, which takes place just a few weeks after Olympia. Even with those plans in the works, he still has to remain focused, or former two-time 212 champ Shaun Clarida could take back the title.
Despite having yet to test himself in the unrestricted division, bodybuilders like Pearson’s chances. Recently, Dennis James said Pearson could win the Open Mr. Olympia title right now, but “The Prodigy” made it clear his priority is 212 at the moment. The 2025 Mr. Olympia promises to be a historic event with massive prize money on the line. Fitness Volt will have live coverage from Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas. Nevada.
Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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