Milos Sarcev believes the sport starts and ends with a dialed-in midsection. On April 9, 2026, he discussed Nick Walker’s stomach distention in the Men’s Open and shared why it can’t be tolerated onstage.
Walker faced a major setback at the 2025 Mr. Olympia. He mistimed his peak and fell to sixth place, a career-low finish. Despite public doubt, Walker bounced back with an all-time best physique at the 2026 Arnold Classic Ohio. He pushed Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea en route to second place, regaining momentum in the packed division.
Walker is in a peculiar spot now; he still needs to win a Pro show to qualify for the 2026 Mr. Olympia. However, he expressed doubt about the prestigious event, noting that he might take a year off from competing. Looking at his latest performance, Sarcev believes Walker’s main concern should be midsection control.
Milos Sarcev Talks Nick Walker and Blasts Bubble Guts in Men’s Open: “That’s Not Bodybuilding”
During the video, Sarcev spoke on Walker’s bubble gut issues, sharing that he’s been warned about it before.
“Everybody is warned! Nick Walker is warned, and he loses. Okay, so if we’re going to now close our eyes every moment when he loses and then just open when he’s ready, that’s how we’re going to judge? That’s one thing. This is why I say, it has nothing to do with Nick Walker.”
According to Sarcev, competitors whose stomachs are pushing out onstage shouldn’t be in contention for a top placing.
“I’m talking about in general, if stomach is there, bye-bye. You’re not in the top. It can’t be. It can’t be tolerated. Why are we tolerating it? That’s what I’m saying,” said Milos Sarcev. “I’m going to be pure. That’s not bodybuilding. It begins and ends with the [midsection].”
In contrast, Dennis James and Chris Cormier pointed out that past champions have had similar problems:
“There’s been multiple champions with not super tight waists,” said Chris Cormier. “How far do we go down this rabbit hole?”
“To never let that happen,” replied Sarcev.
“It’s been happening since 1994,” added Dennis James.
Sarcev isn’t the only bodybuilding veteran to call attention to Walker’s stomach distention. King Kamali recently warned “The Mutant” about his bubble gut. He told him to stop relaxing his midsection or risk criticism from fans.
“You know they are going to pick you apart. They are going to take a picture of you relaxed, and they are going to post it, and say bubble gut. You can’t let them. You’re up there for 15 minutes, 15 minutes… suck it up.”
Sarcev believes a tight, controlled midsection is a staple for any top-tier bodybuilding champ. Should Walker improve this aspect of his game, many argue he’d be one step closer to the Sandow trophy.
