Attention is quickly shifting to Men’s Open contenders expected to push each other at the next Mr. Olympia contest. In a recent Cutler Cast episode, Milos Sarcev discussed Samson Dauda’s confidence levels and laid out whether or not Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay plans to compete in November.
The bodybuilding world has seen plenty of notable changes in the league lately. Last December, mass monster Elssbiay was unable to repeat as champion. Instead, fans were treated to a three-man battle between Nick Walker, Derek Lunsford, and Hadi Choopan.
‘The Persian Wolf’ eventually won the title, which sent shockwaves through the community considering he used to compete as a 212 bodybuilder. Meanwhile, Big Ramy dropped gold and left Sin City in fifth place. He later committed to his career and assured fans he wouldn’t retire.
In March, the 35th Arnold Classic took place. Walker entered the contest as the highest-ranking Olympian. However, he was denied gold after Samson Dauda delivered the best package of his career. While some fans took issue with the outcome, Walker regretfully accepted his runner-up finish. As for Big Ramy, he brought a stellar look but was awarded fourth place.
Sarcev has been open about his progress with Samson Dauda. In preparation for the Arnold Classic, Sarcev revealed that Dauda incorporated trenbolone for the first time during contest prep, which seemingly paid off. As a result of the victory, Dauda emerged as a top threat to Choopan’s title at 2023 Mr. Olympia.
Milos Sarcev Highly Doubts Big Ramy Will Compete at 2023 Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler Says His ‘Arms Are Suffering’
Speculation about Big Ramy competing in November continues to dominate online discussions. Sarcev was the latest figurehead to suggest he sit out the November contest.
“He’s not big big Ramy, right? It’s not 3X it’s just XL, obviously, he’s probably not training and doing supplementation and everything. He looked great still. But we expect an ultimate freak, so Big Ramy would usually dominate the group of people if he steps on the stage. With five or six people he’d be the biggest one. I mean, he didn’t dominate. Samson was right there just as big or bigger.”
In a recent The Menace podcast, head judge Steve Weinberger made a special appearance. He explained that it would be best for Big Ramy and the longevity of his career to sit out of Mr. Olympia this year. Given that Ramy’s stem cell treatment can take up to six months to show results, perhaps the time away from the stage would revitalize his physique.
“Steve Weinberger said in a recent interview that he would want him to rest and have a good off-season to regain the muscle that he has lost due to those injuries, whatever. We won’t admit it or not. There is still – triceps is still not exactly. The back, shoulders, not exactly like they used to be. He’s 38 years old,” said Sarcev.
“The arms seem to be suffering a little bit right,” specified Cutler.
“Ramy? No 100% [he’s not doing the Olympia],” Milos Sarcev suspected.
Sarcev: ‘Complete Samson Dauda Believes He Can Beat All the Guys at 2023 Mr. Olympia’
According to Sarcev, Samson Dauda just started his Mr. Olympia prep.
“Samson has a complete package, like overall, he’s so impressive. I mean he’s 300-something pounds. He was not as heavy as normally because we took time off, rested, and everything. He’s just starting his Olympia prep. The combination of size, width, thickness, the shape, you know Samson has it and everybody… he’s going to be a problem. He is now equally motivated and confident like Nick would be, yeah, he could beat all the guys,” said Milos Sarcev.
When discussing Duada’s possible weaknesses, Sarcev suggested that he mainly needed to work on his back. Recently, Dauda appeared in a Muscular Development interview, mentioning that he could defeat Lunsford and Choopan with added detail from behind.
“It’s not a weakness, but we need to improve still width and thickness of the back. Because back shots… I don’t believe shows are won from the back, but it’s major. So, that’s the comments that he needed. Before he needed a little bit more width in the shoulders, now he has that. Nobody mentions it. He needs to be wider. Let’s say conditioning to be at that level of super hard condition guys like Derek from the back, Hadi from the front, some of those guys… to match that conditioning,” Sarcev explained.
Cutler argued shows are no longer won from the rear and said he didn’t have the best back during his respective career.
“Shows aren’t won from the back, but if you have a whole lot of other stuff, that’s what shows are won from. Listen, I probably didn’t have the best back of everyone, but obviously, I was wide. But, condition-wise, whatever, I still had a lot of other poses right,” added Jay Cutler.
In addition to Cutler and Sarcev, athletes rep Bob Cicherillo has made steady podcast appearances to lay out his thoughts on the upcoming 2023 Mr. Olympia show. Given Dauda’s impressive victory in Ohio, Bob predicted that he and Derek Lunsford are equal threats to Choopan later this year.
With the Mr. Olympia contest approaching in five months, fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what unfolds in the Men’s Open. Judging by Hadi Choopan’s physique updates, he is determined to defend his title at all costs.
RELATED: Hadi Choopan Looks Massive in 2023 Off-Season, Shares Brutal Row & Leg Press Workouts
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