{"id":26891,"date":"2026-08-14T18:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26891"},"modified":"2026-08-14T18:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:14:00","slug":"shawn-ray-sounds-alarm-on-samson-daudas-lagging-2026-mr-olympia-prep-this-is-a-911-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26891","title":{"rendered":"Shawn Ray Sounds Alarm on Samson Dauda’s Lagging 2026 Mr. Olympia Prep: “This is a 911” \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Shawn Ray<\/a> is sounding the alarm on Samson Dauda<\/a>\u2019s lagging 2026 Mr. Olympia prep. In an August 14 YouTube video, Ray revealed that Dauda\u2019s conditioning is behind and urged him to ramp up cardio and a low-carb diet<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Samson Dauda will aim to recapture the Mr. Olympia<\/a> title when he returns to Vegas. In 2025, he fell to fourth at the prestigious show after taking his conditioning too far. He lacked the muscle density and fullness that helped him defeat shorter contenders like Derek Lunsford<\/a> and Hadi Choopan<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dauda tried to bounce back at the Prague Pro<\/a>, but still hadn\u2019t regained all his size. As a result, he earned a close runner-up finish behind Martin Fitzwater<\/a>. In his next outing, he pushed Lunsford, though he settled for silver at the 2025 Arnold Classic<\/a>. After a lengthy off-season, the mass monster is ready to battle against the best in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shawn Ray Says Samson Dauda Is Behind for 2026 Mr. Olympia<\/h2>\n

In the latest Voice of Bodybuilding<\/em> podcast, Ray explained that now is the time for Dauda to turn up the intensity of his preparations:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI love Samson to death, but I was not happy with what I saw. I mean, I don\u2019t know\u2026 If nothing else, based on what I saw, I\u2019d be on a low-carb diet and high cardio right now. I\u2019m telling you, I don\u2019t know anything about how he trains, but I can tell you what brings the body fat down. Cardio, cardio, cardio, high protein, low carbohydrates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If Dauda isn\u2019t able to \u2018etch the detail in,\u2019 the bodybuilding veteran believes he\u2019ll get exposed by Lunsford and Choopan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cOutside of that, I can\u2019t give him any more advice other than pick up the pace of those workouts, start dropping some drop sets in there, do higher rep repetitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs to etch the detail in. Hadi and Derek will expose this guy, and even Andrew Jacked has been getting in some pretty good shape. Samson should be showing us that now,\u201d Shawn Ray explained<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ray called Dauda\u2019s situation \u2018a 911,\u2019 and urged him to get ready early for the Olympia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe needs to get ready early, not later. If he tries to get ready later, the same thing is going to happen to him. He\u2019s going to flatten out, he\u2019s going to appear like he\u2019s small, and those cuts are not going to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got that dark African skin; he needs to thin that stuff out now. This is a 911. How many weeks? Six? I\u2019m spending the next three like I\u2019m getting ready to compete.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Aside from Ray, bodybuilding legend Phil Heath<\/a> has spoken up about Dauda\u2019s Olympia chances. Heath broke down Dauda\u2019s size gamble and predicted that if he\u2019s peeled, \u2018it\u2019s a wrap.\u2019<\/a> However, he warned that getting \u2018inside-out shredded\u2019 is easier said than done.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Time will tell if Ray is right about Dauda\u2019s preparations. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is coming soon, with competitors set to battle from September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0Derek Lunsford Nears 250 Lbs Ahead of 2026 Mr. Olympia, Reacts to Nick Walker\u2019s Tampa Win: \u2018I Just Got to Remind Him Who the Champ Is\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch the full video from the Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n