Samir Bannout believes Samson Dauda is on track to earn a third Mr. Olympia title. In an August 28 video, he broke down the Open star’s chances at the prestigious show taking place in less than four weeks.
“Yeah, he’s beyond big. He’s the biggest bodybuilder ever right now, right there. He’s probably around 300 pounds right there.”
After falling to fourth place at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Dauda has remained focused on redemption. However, he suffered another setback at the Prague Pro and lost to Martin Fitzwater. Throughout the year, Dauda has made it clear that he’s bringing back the 350-pound ‘monster’ that judges have grown accustomed to seeing.
To avoid another costly overcorrection, Dauda slowed down his prep and has gone under the radar. With the ‘Super Bowl of Bodybuilding’ set to take over Vegas later this month, Bannout offered Dauda praise along with a few pointers.
Samir Bannout Gives Samson Dauda High Praise Ahead of 2026 Olympia: ‘Biggest Bodybuilder Ever Right Now’
In the latest episode of the Muscle Maturity Podcast, Bannout was taken aback by Dauda’s freak factor and muscle separation.
“Just imagine his skin gets a tad bit thinner in that upper body, matching his incredible legs. You could put a credit card in his legs. The separation is freaky.”
While the event is approaching fast, the 1983 Mr. Olympia champ believes Dauda could still drop another six or seven pounds of fat.
“If he still has some fat on his body, in four weeks… he should be able to drop another six or seven pounds of fat, but I don’t know. I don’t think it’s not doable. Look at the legs. Look at how deep. This is what wins contests: deep separation and with mass.”
According to Bannout, if Dauda’s upper body matches the detail of his legs, he’ll be unbeatable at the 2026 Mr. Olympia:
“Imagine his abs and chest are this shredded. Honestly, if his entire body is shredded as his legs, nobody is going to beat him. I’m telling you right now. He won’t lose. Because, also, he’s a good poser; that’s a thing,” said Samir Bannout.
Bodybuilding veterans have backed Dauda heading into the contest. Former seven-time titleholder Phil Heath recently shared that if Dauda gets peeled, it’ll ‘be a wrap’ for his rivals on the Olympia stage. That said, Heath acknowledged that Dauda’s strategy for more size is a gamble that could backfire.
Many believe that we have yet to see Samson Dauda bring his 100% to the Olympia stage. Fans will find out if he finally nails the perfect peak when the Olympia takes place September 24-27 in Las Vegas.
