Seven-time 212 Mr. Olympia winner Flex Lewis has his pulse on bodybuilding despite stepping away from competition. In a recent video posted on YouTube, Lewis shared his predictions for the upcoming 2023 Arnold Classic, scheduled for Mar. 2-5 in Columbus, Ohio.
Men’s Open standout and former Arnold Classic champion Nick Walker has emerged as the frontrunner to win the top prize. He’s coming off a sensational performance at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, where he finished third and won the People’s Champ Award. Although he was unsure if he would enter the nearing Arnold Classic, he got confirmed to compete at the show after the organizers increased the prize money to a record-high $300,000.
Former two-time Mr. Olympia winner Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay will also be on stage to redeem himself after losing the Olympia title and finishing fifth. He’ll be joined by rising sensation Andrew Jacked in the lineup. Andrew recently teamed up with renowned bodybuilding gurus Chris Aceto and Chris ‘Psycho’ Lewis, coach of the late former Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden, to get ready for the contest.
Despite the intense competition, Samir Bannout, a former Mr. Olympia champ, is confident Samson Dauda will win the show if he came in shredded to the bone. He believes Dauda’s overall muscle development would outshine even the freaky muscle mass of ‘The Mutant.’
Bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler weighed in on the top contenders for the 2023 Arnold Classic earlier this week. The four-time Mr. Olympia winner backed Big Ramy to defeat everyone if he came at his best. However, he believes Walker’s dedication will lead him to a second Arnold Classic trophy.
Renowned bodybuilding guru Milos Sarcev sees it as a three-way clash between Walker, Andrew, and Dauda at the contest. He suggested that two-time 212 Olympia champ Shaun Clarida could also be in the mix depending on how the judges score the show.
Flex Lewis predicts Nick Walker wins the 2023 Arnold Classic
In a recent YouTube video, Flex Lewis shared his top ten predictions for the upcoming 2023 Arnold Classic. Lewis sided with Walker to win the show. He sees Ramy coming in second place, ahead of the other favorites like Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda.
“I can’t wait to really see if Ramy is able to bring a better look next to Nick,” said Lewis. “Andrew is my dark horse. Samson needs a year or maybe two years of added muscle in the right areas, maturity, and then you’re talking about a completely different monster. Samson will be a threat in any show he participates in in the future.”
Although Lewis wanted to place Clarida higher, he believes the mass monsters of the event might overpower him on stage.
“If they judge and look at Shaun with blinkers on, he’s Ronnie Coleman in a 212 size. He never misses. I just think that he’s going to be lost there with the heights of what’s there.”
Flex Lewis’ Arnold Classic Predictions
- Nick Walker
- Big Ramy
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
- William Bonac
- Shaun Clarida
- Akim Williams
- Justin Rodriguez
- Kamal Elgargni
- Patrick Moore
There have been suggestions that Ramy may not bounce back from the Olympia defeat. Fellow standout Hunter Labrada argued it’s a do-or-die situation for the Egyptian bodybuilder considering how long he had been competing at the highest level in the sport.
With the 2023 Arnold Classic under six weeks out, athletes are dialing in their contest preparations for the second biggest show of the year.
You can watch the full video below:
RELATED: Jay Cutler: Nick Walker Is The 2023 Arnold Classic Favorite, But ‘Big Ramy at 100% Beats Everybody’
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