Talks of who might be leaving Columbus, Ohio with Arnold Classic gold are gaining traction. On December 21, 2024, Samir Bannout gave his top three Open picks for the prestigious event, which is set to take place from February 27 to March 2.
The 2024 Mr. Olympia competition told us a lot. Samson Dauda nailed his peak to become the 19th athlete to earn the prestigious Sandow trophy. In doing so, he defeated former Olympia champions Hadi Choopan and third-place finisher Derek Lunsford.
‘The Nigerian Lion’ jumped right back into prep in pursuit of a second Arnold Classic title (he won his first in 2023 against Nick Walker). With the official competitor lineup released, fans are ready to see if he can once again surpass Derek Lunsford as well as a few other notable threats, some of which include Andrew Jacked, Brandon Curry, and Akim Williams.
Samir Bannout’s Top 3 Picks for the 2025 Arnold Classic
Find his picks below:
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- Winner — Samson Dauda
- Second Place — Derek Lunsford
- Third Place — Andrew Jacked
Samir Bannout’s Thoughts on the Upcoming 2025 Arnold Classic
While he admits the contest is ‘hard to predict,’ it didn’t take Bannout long to name his top three. He underlined that a shredded Samson Dauda is ‘very difficult to stop.’
“Well, John, automatically, these are the top three in my opinion. Right off the bat. Then, right now, it’s really very hard to predict 100 percent but they all have the potential to win it. I think equally but then again… I still have the edge for Samson right now. He’s riding high. His physique is beautiful.”
“I think Samson with all the size that he has, and we talked about it you and I John for over a year now and we’ve said when Samson is going to peak and gets to be more shredded, he’s going to be very difficult to stop.”
He explained that Dauda looks like a cartoon character, boasting tremendous symmetry with no weaknesses.
“Look at that picture of Samson, oh my god, the guy looks like a cartoon character. It’s really hard to beat a body this massive. The shoulder-to-waist ratio is unbelievable, he’s missing nothing. And I can see his quality is better. You can feel that skin has gotten thinner.”
“Some guys have big muscles but they don’t rhyme. Samson’s body rhymes. It rhymes properly. The muscle bellies, the way the biceps, triceps, the forearms, everything looks put together properly.”
To walk away victorious, Lunsford must, above all else, be shredded, says Bannout.
“I think Samson still has the edge but again, I love the way that Derek’s body also flows but Derek needs to be shredded and somebody told me has a new coach.”
“His body is unbelievable. His muscle size belongs to someone like 6″2′. I’m serious. Unbelievable,” he shared. “I honestly think Derek could give him a big run for his money but I think the end result is going to end up with Samson first.”
Former Olympia champion Samir Bannout isn’t the only esteemed IFBB Pro to offer his predictions ahead of the event. Recently, Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Chris Cormier revealed their top six picks for the 2025 Arnold Classic. They unanimously placed Samson Dauda in first.
Picks are one thing, but actually pulling off the victory is another. In a sport as unpredictable as bodybuilding, nothing is set in stone. Don’t miss live coverage of the 2025 Arnold Classic provided by Fitness Volt in March!
Watch the full video from the Old School Labs YouTube channel below:
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