Samson Dauda is giving his take on Chris Bumstead’s foray into the Men’s Open division. In a recent YouTube video aired on October 31, 2024, Samson Dauda opened up on some of the improvements he’s made for the 2025 Arnold Classic and gave his opinion on Chris Bumstead battling Martin Fitzwater at the upcoming EVLS Prague Pro.
After winning a sixth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title, Chris Bumstead sailed off into the sunset, announcing his retirement from the sport. However, his time away from competing didn’t last long. Days after the big win, ‘Cbum’ announced that he was moving up to the Men’s Open division and competing at the 2024 Prague Pro.
Fans and bodybuilders have been weighing in on his chances since making the transition. Dennis James has doubts about Bumstead’s potential in the Open class whereas his brother-in-law Iain Valliere, refused to count him out completely on the Prague stage.
If he hopes to find success in the new category devoid of weight restrictions, Bumstead will have to get through the Prague lineup and favorite Martin Fitzwater, who is fresh off taking fourth place at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
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Samson Dauda Talks Improvements for 2025 Arnold Classic, Gives Opinion on Chris Bumstead vs Martin Fitzwater in Prague
Dauda reflected not only on the improvements he made for Olympia but also on those for the 2025 Arnold Classic, revealing that his back and conditioning have been focal points.
“Everything the judges have told us to improve on, we’ve managed to do, we’ve improved our back, improve our conditioning, and even bring more size. We’ve managed to do that in months,” said Dauda. “I fixed everything they’ve asked me to, is it going to be enough, will it get rewarded? It was just nice to see that, the judges said ‘Yeah, that’s what we wanted.”
“We know even as Mr. Olympia, we know we want to be better. We always want to be better. I want to keep improving my back. I want to keep improving my conditioning. I want to keep improving my structure. I want to improve everything.
If Dauda can pick up the Arnold Classic win in 2025, he’ll have replicated a feat only executed by former eight-time Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman.
“I think Ronnie is the only Mr. Olympia that’s ever gone to do the Arnold while he was Mr. Olympia,” said Dauda. “Yeah, but he kept on doing it. That’s what for me, that’s what inspires me. The idea of competitiveness and the idea of what it means to be a champion. It’s not taking the title and hiding away.”
Dauda is curious about Bumstead’s Open move and wants to watch him compete live in Prague.
“In about three weeks’ time Chris Bumstead will be competing in the Open class. It’s a show that I’m thinking me and the whole bodybuilding world have been waiting to see and we’re excited to see what happens. I can’t wait. I want to be there. I want to be able to watch that show front row and I want to experience and see what will happen because I’m very very curious myself.”
While he acknowledges Bumstead as an elite talent, he’s hard-pressed to believe anyone will be able to stop Martin Fitzwater at the Prague Pro.
“Obviously Cbum is a great competitor, six times Mr. Olympia in Classic, and at the same time, he’s going up against a very fierce Martin Fitzwater who is number four in the world right now.
I saw Martin at the Olympia and I’ll tell you he’s one impressive bodybuilder and I don’t think his videos or even pictures do him justice on how good he is, and impressive.”
“I think it’ll be hard-pressed to say somebody is going to beat that. Martin is hungry, young, and he’s bringing something special to that stage,” adds Dauda.
Bodybuilding standout Shawn Ray has broken down the hypothetical match-up between Bumstead and Samson Dauda. He believes Bumstead has better lines than ‘The Nigerian Lion,’ comparing the Classic star to legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane.
Although he doesn’t have the size of a traditional Open competitor, Ray believes Bumstead has a shot at taking down Dauda in the future. He also believes Bumstead is taking a huge risk by competing in Prague, suggesting that it could ‘blow up’ in his face.
Bumstead’s performance in Prague will tell fans and Samson Dauda a lot. If he claims the win, then talks of how he’ll perform on the Mr. Olympia stage in 2025 will heat up. Don’t miss Bumstead’s Open splash from November 16-17 in Prague next month.
Watch the full video from the TFE Media YouTube channel below:
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