The 2026 Mr. Olympia is approaching fast. In a July 30 YouTube video, Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo expressed doubt about Samson Dauda’s prep strategy and compared Nick Walker to Rich Gaspari.
In 2024, Dauda shocked the world and defeated Derek Lunsford to claim his first Sandow trophy. Last season, the Nigerian mass monster attempted to win a second Arnold Classic, but fell short against Lunsford. They rematched at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, with Lunsford reclaiming the prestigious title.
Dauda’s focus on sharper conditioning worked against him onstage. He lacked the muscle density that gave him an edge against stockier contenders, like Lunsford and Hadi Choopan. While Dauda shut down the season to prepare for Olympia, Men’s Open star Nick Walker has yet to stamp his ticket.
“The Mutant” will compete at the upcoming 2026 Tampa Pro, and if he’s successful, he’ll be set for his fourth Mr. Olympia appearance. With the biggest show of the year eight weeks away, Ray and Cicherillo gave their thoughts on what lies ahead for Dauda and Walker.
Shawn Ray Doubts Samson Dauda’s 2026 Olympia Strategy, Reveals Nick Walker’s Best Chance to Win
In the video, Ray expressed serious doubts about Dauda’s strategy for the Mr. Olympia. He argued that being lean is what won Dauda the title back in 2024.
“I don’t know if he’s got the right strategy. I don’t know if being 340-350 pounds and bringing it down, trying to stay above 300, is going to be his winning ticket. I think being leaner is what got him the Olympia.”
In contrast, he thought Walker’s decision to compete at a late Olympia qualifier was a smart move:
“This could be great for Nick Walker because he’s stayed lean. Let’s say he goes on to win this show, then he’s just got to ride it into the Olympia, lean and mean, and that would be his best chance to me. I don’t know if Samson has the right ticket here.”
Overall, Ray believes Dauda’s strategy for more size doesn’t align with the improvements he needed to make:
“Having faith in Samson to do the impossible, to do what he hasn’t done, it’s tough for me. He’s got the best shape of all the guys. He has all the tools. I’m cheering for the guy. All he has to do is run the tape back from a year or two ago, but the strategy is not aligning with what I think he needs to do to make improvements,” shared Shawn Ray.
“All this extra weight, not competing before the Olympia… I wish that France show was there two weeks before so he could suck down and have that dry run once again, build up his confidence, but yeah, he’s made me question whether he can replicate it as he’s gotten older.”
He went on to compare Walker to 1990s bodybuilding standout Rich Gaspari, who was known for his dry conditioning.
“Listen, there’s a lot more questions for my confidence levels for Samson than there are from what Nick is doing right now. Nick is not a better bodybuilder than Samson, but he’s grittier. He reminds me of a [Rich] Gaspari.”
Bodybuilding legends have been vocal about Dauda’s chances heading into the Mr. Olympia. Eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney recently argued that Dauda is ‘overtaxing’ himself with size and doesn’t expect him to present his best onstage.
Should Walker win the Tampa Pro, he’ll have even more momentum heading into the Olympia. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is set for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
