The 2023 Arnold Classic shook the bodybuilding world as Samson Dauda emerged victorious. Speaking in a Muscular Development interview, Milos Sarcev addressed the outcome and explained how Andrew Jacked and Nick Walker came up short.
After last week’s Arnold Classic concluded, Samson Dauda left $300,000 richer with a massive victory. During the event, he was pushed by the on paper favorite Nick Walker as well as Andrew Jacked, who joined Chris Aceto and Chris Lewis to train for the competition. The finals pitted three men against each other: Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and Andrew Jacked. In spite of Walker’s seemingly improved condition, he was unable to stop Dauda.
Many fans found the results controversial. Even Aceto agreed that Walker would have defeated Samson Dauda in a one-on-one battle. Instead, he stood next to Jacked and Dauda for most of the contest. The last time Milos Sarcev took a closer look at the results, he specified that ‘The Mutant’s’ legs were down in volume. Given the recent success, Sarcev is hopeful about his client’s chances against the reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford.
Speaking with Giles Thomas and Ron Harris, Sarcev recapped the show’s results. In addition, he examined the packages Jacked, Dauda, and Walker brought to Columbus, Ohio.
Milos Sarcev Breaks Down 2023 Arnold Classic, Says Big Ramy Got Fair Shake on Stage
Milos Sarcev doesn’t believe Big Ramy faced unfair judging at the contest even though some fans are suggesting as much.
“I wish at this show they had Ramy and Nick, direct comparison, just those two. And Andrew and Samson, just those two. Everyone would be interested to see just that. When you have those four guys, it kind of spreads attention everywhere. Those Ramy fans are going to say they didn’t give him an honest shot. At the prejudging, 10 judges, two highs, two lows, erased. And Ramy didn’t have a perfect fourth-place finisher score. He had a few points lost – one point lost. One point means three judges saw Shaun beating him.”
Get Fitter, FasterLevel Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
He added that Ramy’s size helped him pull ahead of Shaun Clarida.
“They had a guy 120 pounds smaller guy still beats you… that tells you that his shape is not so favorable. The shape of Samson and Andrew are much more favorable than Ramy. Ramy’s Big Ramy, overwhelm with size, and that’s how he was winning the shows, let’s face it. The way he was winning the shows, he overwhelmed with size, that width,” said Milos Sarcev.
Sarcev Reveals Oil Fiasco Backstage for Samson Dauda, Picks Apart Physiques of Andrew Jacked/Nick Walker
According to Sarcev, Samson Dauda was winning from the beginning of the show. He stressed that Dauda was in the center of the stage for most of prejudging, which usually indicates that an athlete is leading the event.
“That callout, Samson was in dead center from beginning to end. That was a very good indication – they didn’t move him – they see him there. Then, at the end. They had the top three with everybody going in the middle, in the middle, in the middle, they were giving a chance to everyone. Just by that alone, politically, when I’m looking at what the judges are saying, I didn’t think they had anybody other than Samson right there.”
After getting a call from William Bonac backstage, Sarcev rushed over because Dauda was losing too much oil.
“Samson, initially, he came in it was good, but he was losing the oil and that’s constantly what is happening. It was happening in Boston. Marlena used two bottles of goddamn oil and it still happened again. After it happened, we paid attention, by the time she applied it and he’s going, William Bonac calls me, ‘Milos, Milos, look at Samson, he’s dry to the bone!’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, we just did the oil,’ and I had to run back and do the oil. The same thing was happening here.”
Unlike his recent Olympia performance, Sarcev thought Walker struggled to control his midsection in Ohio.
“He was already very conditioned at the Olympia, and they saw him highest placing. I think that was probably a better call for him. He’s a mutant. He’s a freak. He’s going to outmuscle,” shared Sarcev. “Losing the midsection and losing legs along with it, what do you get. The other thing is, he was losing it. I don’t know if you noticed. For me, I’m honest, I’m not a biased coach. I’m watching everything.
He could not control his abs as good as he did in the other shows. He might not have a small waist but he had deep abs and he was always in control. There was many times you can catch, if you review, even going for the pose, the ab shot, it was not there. At the very end, it came in, but it was not the same.”
Sarcev admits Andrew looked leaner on stage but wasn’t in the running to win because he lacked thickness from the side, most notably in his hamstrings.
“There was maybe a pound difference from Friday and Saturday. It didn’t look more. That aspect, why Samson beat Andrew. I told you from beginning. Andrew had a little bit dryer conditioning, a little bit leaner, yes. I said that this. It’s still not enough to win the show. It’s not enough to win the show. Andrew was stringy.”
“You are overlooking so many poses and so many parameters. He [Andrew] doesn’t have the thickness in hamstrings from the side in both side relaxed, side triceps, side chest. Not competitive! Not competitive, he lost those poses.”
Athletes’ rep Bob Cicherillo was the latest bodybuilding expert to deliver his opinion on the outcome. Some fans have been critical of Dauda’s victory, but Cicerillo shared that he pulled away from the competition with the ‘best of all worlds,’ which included ‘symmetry, size, proportions, conditioning, and presentation.’ In addition, Cicherillo laid out a guide on how to judge bodybuilding contests.
RELATED: ‘Samson Dauda Needs Deeper Separation in His Back’: Zack Khan Shares How to Crack Top 3 at Mr. Olympia
In light of Samson Dauda’s recent win, he’s gained significant momentum ahead of the next Mr. Olympia contest. With nearly eight months to prepare, fans expect an even better physique from Dauda in Orlando, Florida.
Check out the full video below:
Catch comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analyses, and complete Arnold Classic results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
