Samir Bannout, a decorated bodybuilder from the 1980s, routinely examines the sport’s hottest topics. In a recent Old School Labs podcast, Bannout discussed Sergio Oliva Jr.’s potential and whether or not 2023 Mr. Olympia will be an easy contest to win.
On the heels of the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition, Hadi Choopan captured the title after a hard-fought battle against Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker. Months later, bodybuilding fans gathered for the annual Arnold Classic, which saw Walker fighting for gold once again. However, ‘The Mutant’ was unable to deliver a second title and finished runner-up behind Samson Dauda.
Attention has now shifted to November’s Mr. Olympia contest as athletes have until October 9 to earn a respective invitation. Among those looking to stamp their ticket to the event is Sergio Oliva Jr., son of three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva. Oliva Jr.’s last contest came at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro in third place. Given his lineage and potential in the Open, fans believe he has what it takes to mount a successful comeback.
While fans assumed Oliva Jr. would compete at this weekend’s 2023 Arnold Classic South America, those hopes were dashed following a car accident in Dubai. As a result of the incident, Oliva Jr. shared that traveling to other countries would be a difficult endeavor, especially while trying to prep for a bodybuilding contest. The latest to discuss 2023 Olympia and Oliva Jr. is Samir Bannout, who weighed in on Sergio’s chances of success this year.
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Samir Bannout: Sergio Oliva Jr. Can Win 2023 Olympia, ‘He’s Hardly Missing Anything’
Sergio Oliva Jr. believes this year’s Olympia might be one of the easiest to win in years, but Samir Bannout doesn’t accept that as a truth.
“You can never really say this is the best [or easiest] Mr. Olympia ever. You can’t really say that. The Olympia is always good. It was good even when Arnold was winning it. Look, we witnessed it last year, maybe we saw changes in the top three but they were all good contestants; they were all good. And so, the year before, when Hadi won the Olympia, I mean the Olympia was very good.”
Bannout contends that Oliva Jr. is capable of winning Mr. Olympia but is being held back by his mindset.
“I made sure I was Mr. Olympia in ’83 before I went. You got to have that attitude,” Samir Bannout said.
I think for Sergio he needs to not talk about it and just get it done. Just go in shredded to the bone. Honestly, he’s capable. Sergio Oliva is damn capable. I look at his body man. All you got to do is come in crispy like 24-carat and pose. Because none of those guys have a perfect body, there’s no such thing as perfect competitors nowadays,” explained Samir Bannout.
“Let’s put it this way: Nick, in my opinion, Sergio hasn’t reached his full full potential. Sergio competed at maybe 80-85% but if he gets to 100% with his complete physique and get slightly more waisted and pose like a champion, I mean come on, he’s got all the beef, he’s hardly missing anything.
It’s a mental, it’s the mental – I think Sergio one time – I saw Sergio at Gold’s, I said, ‘Sergio, you’re going to be in the top six.’ He says he wasn’t sure, ‘Come on, you think so?’ He thinks he’s top 10, I tell him, ‘Sergio you better think right away top three or win, you can’t go there and not think, oh you’re not going to be able to crack the top six.’ I swear I told him that.”
Bannout added that Regan Grimes and Sergio Oliva Jr. both have Mr. Olympia-winning potential but said there’s ‘something missing’ from their overall packages.
“Regan Grimes has so much potential and I – he’s Canadian. It’s the same situation with Sergio and Regan Grimes. Both of these guys can be frontrunners, easily top three if they do the work. I don’t think Nick Walker is better but Nick Walker has a better attitude and is a warrior. He’s working like a champion and he showed with what he had was amazing.
So Regan Grimes – if he behaves like Nick Walker and gets hard like Nick Walker, guess what? Regan Grimes could be Mr. Olympia and this is the truth. Sergio automatically can be in the top three if he comes in like Hadi Choopan – etched and shredded but he’s not doing the work. He’s not doing what he needs to do. He’s training hard and everything but he’s not doing something. There is something still missing from Sergio and Regan. That’s my opinion.”
According to Bannout, Grimes, and Sergio Oliva Jr. would benefit greatly from a Dorian Yates-style six-month training camp.
“If Grimes gets shredded, gets gnarly, if he gets his Olympia-attitude condition, he would kill them all, and you know what… it’s true. Regan is huge and has everything. He’s a good-looking guy. Massive. But he needs to get gnarly. He needs to get like Dorian. You think Dorian had a better body than Regan? Hell no! Dorian donesn’t have a better body than Regan Grimes, sorry Dorian being honest here. If he [Regan] takes a Dorian mentality for six months, he’ll kill them all but I think Regan has better genetics than Sergio overall.”
After teasing a potential return to the sport, Sergio Oliva Jr. joined Dennis James on The Menace Podcast, where he discussed the pressures of coming back on stage. He shared that his legal troubles stemming from the recent car accident halted his progress and will aim to compete at another show in the near future, like the California Pro or New York Pro.
The sport has certainly undergone major changes since his time on top, but Samir Bannout believes the Mr. Olympia contest is as competitive as ever. Moving forward, he hopes Oliva Jr. and Grimes find success on the sport’s biggest stages given their genetic potential.
You can watch the full video below, courtesy of the Old School Labs YouTube channel:
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