Nick Walker’s 2026 Mr. Olympia victory has bodybuilding veterans talking. In an October 8 video, Milos Sarcev argued that Hadi Choopan would have won the event had he been able to compete.
Virtually no one had “The Mutant” winning the Mr. Olympia outside of Chris Cormier and Guy Cisternino. He came into the event as an underdog after he dropped to sixth place in 2025. To regain momentum, Walker defeated Choopan to earn second place behind Andrew Jacked at the 2026 Arnold Classic.
With a new coach guiding his preparations, Walker dominated the 2026 Tampa Pro. He was told that he could never win the Olympia unless his rivals came in off. However, Walker proved the improbable in Vegas, and he beat an improved Derek Lunsford and Samson Dauda. While most agree with Walker’s triumph, some believe if “The Persian Wolf” was present, the scorecards would have looked vastly different.
Milos Sarcev Explains How Hadi Choopan Could Have Won the 2026 Mr. Olympia
In the latest episode of The Menace Podcast, Sarcev argued that Choopan would have come out on top in a showdown against Nick Walker.
“He’s so goddamn focused right now,” said Sarcev. “He would have won. You know that. You are his fan, considering what he brings.”
“He must be mad,” added Dennis James. “For not being there, seeing that Nick won.”
“Not to take anything away from Nick, right?” Sarcev shared.
“I think he would fare better with Nick than Samson,” said James.
According to Sarcev, no one at the 2026 Mr. Olympia had an answer for Walker’s conditioning, but Choopan would’ve:
“Nobody was touching Nick’s conditioning…. he would’ve,” said Sarcev.
“If he would have been in normal Hadi Choopan conditioning, absolutely, he would have been just as sharp, maybe not from the back, but from the front,” explains James.
Jose Raymond joined the conversation and shared that he agreed with the judges’ decision in Vegas:
“I agree with the decision. I think Nick looked phenomenal. He looked the best he ever looked. The people who can beat him weren’t at their all-time best, and he was. He very well could have ended up in fourth if everyone was spot-on like he was,” explained Jose Raymond.
They also speculated about whether Lunsford jumps into the 2027 Arnold Classic:
“Do you think Derek is doing it?” asks James.
“Tell me, why would he possibly pass on this prize money? He competed throughout the year in 2025,” said Sarcev.
Walker has already stated that he’s competing at the 2027 Arnold Classic. After taking runner-up in Ohio last season, he’ll have the chance at another massive cash prize. However, he’ll face a deep lineup, with Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked confirming their entries.
The bodybuilding community is still trying to wrap its head around the Mr. Olympia results. Do you think Choopan would have won the 2026 Mr. Olympia if he had the chance to compete?
