The 2026 Mr. Olympia saw Nick Walker make history as its 20th Men’s Open champion. In an October 1 video, NPC and IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion broke down why he thought Samson Dauda beat Nick Walker five poses to three in Las Vegas.
Walker was counted out heading into this year’s Mr. Olympia contest. Fans turned their backs on him after he dropped to sixth place at the prestigious event in 2025. He rebounded with an impressive runner-up finish behind Andrew Jacked at the 2026 Arnold Classic. “The Mutant” missed out on a second title and a massive $750,000 winner’s purse.
In August, he showcased tighter midsection control and won the 2026 Tampa Pro. All season long, Walker was told he couldn’t win the Mr. Olympia unless his rivals were off the mark. However, the 32-year-old star never lost focus and shocked the world, picking up the biggest win of his career. With time to reflect on the outcome, Manion, who judged the contest, elaborated on his scorecard.
Tyler Manion Had Samson Dauda Beating Nick Walker at the 2026 Mr. Olympia
Front Double Biceps – Dauda Wins
In the video, Manion explained that Dauda won the front double biceps pose with separation, conditioning, and fullness.
“I think it’s a very close pose between Nick and Derek here. You look at Derek, he has a great taper, lats are very wide, waist looks small in this pose. Arms: I think he improved the detail in his inner arms a little bit from last year, but you’re comparing them to Nick so there’s a big difference in the arms.”
“Samson, who obviously has the biggest legs out of the bunch. The separation and the conditioning really, really helped here. He has separation, conditioning, and fullness.”
Front Lat Spread – Dauda Wins
He gave Dauda the front lat spread as well, urging Walker to improve his taper and shrink his waistline.
“Still, for Nick here, he needs to exhibit more taper and the waist line needs to come in a little bit more.”
“Shoulder to shoulder, very wide chest, looks thick into a very, very good taper, small midsection. And again, the legs, the lower body, how his quads look from the front shows how big his upper body is; it makes him look extremely balanced and clean in this pose. Conditioning-wise, again, not quite the same level of conditioning as Nick, but as you can see in this pose, you see how conditioning can change even with how conditioned your overall body is.”
Side Chest – Dauda Wins
Next, “The Nigerian Lion” was awarded the side chest pose because he had enough side leg density to match Walker.
“I think Samson’s outer arms and shoulders look very good here. They compare very well against Nick’s. Samson’s side leg. Again, the only one who can rival Nick’s size in the side leg is Samson himself here.”
Back Double Biceps – Walker Wins
When they turned to the back, momentum shifted in Walker’s favor:
“Yes, Nick needs more of that depth and thickness to the back, but still Nick exhibits such a nice taper.”
Back Lat Spread – Walker Wins
Manion gave Walker the back lat spread, but said he still has room to make it a stronger pose.
“That back depth and detail just needs to come up so that back pops a little bit more in this pose. And again, obviously, his lower body is very impressive.”
Side Triceps – Walker Wins
Moving on to the side triceps, Walker took this pose handily. Manion credited him for his smaller waist and improved aesthetics.
“Now, this is a pose where I think he looks very impressive. He makes his waistline look much smaller and aesthetic here. You can see the nice taper literally from under his armpit down to his waistline here. You see that in this pose. His abs again, very thick and detailed make this pose pop.”
Abdominal and Thigh – Dauda Wins
On balanced proportions and flow alone, Manion thought Dauda edged out Walker here.
“When you’re looking at the overall balance and flow of the pose, you can see that Samson has a really nice taper.”
Favorite Most Muscular – Dauda Wins
In the final shot, Manion explained that Dauda’s detail in the chest and outer arms were standout features:
“Out of all the poses, I think this is where you just saw the biggest difference in Samson from Friday to Saturday. Samson really came alive in this pose. Much more detail to the chest, the outer arms and shoulders look very, very good,” shared Tyler Manion.
Tyler Manion’s Official Scorecard: Samson Dauda Beats Nick Walker 5 Poses to 3
Bodybuilding veterans have been analyzing the results since the show wrapped up. According to 1990s standout Lee Priest, the judges got it right in Vegas despite Manion scoring the event for Dauda. He shared that Lunsford has maxed out his frame and should concern himself with sharper conditioning.
There’s a new king sitting on top of the Mr. Olympia throne. Fans look forward to seeing Walker and Dauda rematch at the upcoming 2027 Arnold Classic, set for March 4-7 in Columbus, Ohio.
