Shahriar Kamali, better known as King Kamali, wants to see Samson Duada back on top of the sport. In a recent video shared on Jan. 2, 2026, he urged Dauda to team up with Dorian Yates. He believes the change could help him win back his Mr. Olympia title.
Samson Dauda marched into the 2025 Mr. Olympia as the reigning champion. All season, he was criticized for his inability to get peeled. Thus, conditioning became Dauda’s primary focus for the Olympia, but he took it a step too far. When he hit the stage, he looked noticeably downsized. His back and legs lacked the pop needed to overwhelm stockier contenders like Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford.
Dauda dropped all the way down to fourth place. In an effort to redeem himself, he battled Martin Fitzwater at the Prague Pro but narrowly lost on the scorecards. With Dauda’s stock seemingly at an all-time low, Kamali laid out what he should do next to regain momentum.
King Kamali Urges Dauda to Join Dorian Yates To Win Back Mr. Olympia Title
In the latest Iron OG‘s podcast, Kamali said Dauda doesn’t need any more size. He believes he played the conditioning game wrong and paid dearly for it:
“Samson doesn’t need to get bigger. Samson just played the conditioning game the wrong way. There’s a right way, and there’s a wrong way to play the conditioning game, and it destroyed him,” he said.
Kamali spoke about why Dauda should join forces with Dorian Yates, a fellow Mr. Olympia champion from the UK. Dauda is currently coached by his wife, Marlena, though Kamali made it clear that he’d improve tremendously under Yates’ command.
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“He just needs to get back to the basics. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, and if Samson is listening, I hope he’s listening… pick up the phone, call Dorian Yates.
Call Dorian Yates and say Dorian, I’m coming in, and I’m going to train with you for six months. Let’s do this together, and how much do you charge? I’m sure Dorian will give him an incredible rate because it’s just all publicity for Dorian and his business and train with Dorian, Samson,” states King Kamali.
With just six months of training, Kamali said Dauda would win back his Mr. Olympia title.
“He will create something that the world hasn’t seen, and you’ll get your title back.”
Kamali was insistent that size shouldn’t be Dauda’s main concern. However, Dauda believes he needs to add muscle for the next bodybuilding season. He recently outlined his off-season plan to bulk up to a massive 350 pounds, claiming that ‘it’s time to go back to being a monster’.
It will be interesting to see how Dauda progresses in the coming months. As of this writing, he has yet to reveal if he’ll compete again before the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
RELATED: Derek Lunsford Says If All Are ‘100%,’ He and Hadi Choopan Edge Out Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda
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