Lee Haney has strong views on the current direction of bodybuilding. In a pair of podcasts released on June 5, 2025, he discussed why bodybuilding is the most dangerous sport in the world. In addition, he revealed why Hadi Choopan is his frontrunner heading into the Mr. Olympia.
Having won the Mr. Olympia eight consecutive times, Lee Haney is tied for the most wins with Ronnie Coleman. In retirement, he continues to watch the sport closely, sharing his views and opinions on the latest physiques shaking up the sport.
Haney previously mentioned that the sport has lost its way and needed a reset. Below, he clarified exactly what he meant by those comments and previewed some of the surging contenders expected to make waves at the biggest show of the year.
Lee Haney Reveals His 2025 Mr. Olympia Frontrunners, Calls the Sport ‘The Most Dangerous in the World’
In a recent YouTube video, Haney discussed some of the biggest names in the Men’s Open and their standings heading into this year’s Olympia.
“Hadi is a whole other world when it comes to conditioning. You can make an argument there, but Nick Walker does not fit within the people I just mentioned [Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Andrew Jacked].”
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He praised Walker’s work ethic, but argued judges are sending the wrong message to him and Derek Lunsford.
“What Nick has accomplished is incredible. I don’t want to take anything from him. The young man works hard to develop his physique as he has.
Now, what I’m saying is what happens on the stage and what happens in the bodybuilding community as far as judging is concerned, it is said to Nick Walker, this is okay. Or it says to Derek Lunsford, this is okay, this is what we’re asking for and whatever it takes for you to do, we want you to do that to look this particular way.”
When asked who would win the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Haney wouldn’t give a direct answer, but name-dropped Behrooz Tabani, Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, and Hadi Choopan. He favored Choopan most, thanks to his consistent conditioning levels.
“Behrooz Tabani looks great. I love what he’s looking like. So, I’m going to put him in the mix in that top five too,” explains Haney. “You got Hadi, you got Behrooz, Samson, you got Derek, he’s going to be back there again, top five.”
“It can go any way it all depends. I know Hadi is going to show up in great shape, ain’t no doubt about it. He don’t have what you call perfect symmetry, I think his legs, his thighs are a little bit oversized for his height but not to the extent of anybody up there beating him. It’s going to be hard to beat Hadi.”
As for the changes needed in the sport, Haney pointed to Classic Physique, suggesting most new fans appreciate the appeal of that category versus the Open.
“I wasn’t talking about a reset of bodybuilding as a whole. We both know statistically that the largest category of our sport that’s still growing is that of Classic Physique. We have people like Chris Bumstead,” explains Haney. “They are beautiful, and the general public runs to them. The numbers are real. When you look at the Open class of bodybuilding, the numbers don’t add up in comparison.”
He said that packing on excessive muscle comes at a cost, emphasizing that “Our sport does not have to be the most dangerous sport in the world.”
“What does it take to look like that [in the Open]? You know how much gear these guys have to use to look like that, to create a physique like that?
The sport is saying yeah we want to see more of that. More of that is going to cause these young athletes to die prematurely. We already see it! Our sport does not have to be the most dangerous sport in the world.”
Lee Haney hasn’t been the only bodybuilding mastermind to render his opinion on the 2025 Mr. Olympia. Bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto also tackled the topic, revealing that he believes Hadi Choopan to be ‘almost a favorite’ heading into the massive event.
Haney continues to watch over the sport, always keeping the best interests of its athletes. The 2025 Mr. Olympia event takes place from October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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