Samir Bannout Calls Samson Dauda \u2018The Man to Win\u2019 2026 Mr. Olympia<\/strong><\/h2>\nSamson Dauda<\/a>\u2019s final tune-up before the 2026 Mr. Olympia<\/a> has sparked plenty of debate, but former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout<\/a> believes the former champion may already be the man to beat<\/strong>. After watching Dauda win the 2026 Europa Pro<\/a>, Bannout picked \u201cThe Nigerian Lion\u201d to potentially reclaim the Sandow<\/a> while outlining the final adjustments that could put him over the top in Las Vegas.<\/p>\nDauda won the Men\u2019s Open title at the Europa Pro in Offenbach, Germany, on Sept. 13, giving him a chance to test his physique under competition lights less than two weeks before the Olympia. The appearance was particularly important after Dauda\u2019s pursuit of improved conditioning<\/a> contributed to him looking smaller and flatter during his fourth-place finish at the 2025 Olympia<\/a>.<\/p>\nThis time around, Bannout believes Dauda has successfully brought back the size and shape that made him the 2024 Mr. Olympia. Now, he wants to see just a little more detail.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/div>\nSamir Bannout Says Samson Dauda Needs to Get Harder<\/strong><\/h2>\nBannout, who captured the Mr. Olympia title in 1983, praised what he saw from Dauda in Germany but identified conditioning through the upper body as one area that could still improve.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI feel Samson could actually get a little bit harder. Maybe it\u2019s a good idea for him to check his peak. Right now, he can make some adjustments to have a little bit thinner skin.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Bannout specifically pointed toward Dauda\u2019s shoulders, delts<\/a>, traps<\/a> and back<\/a>. He stressed that these were refinements to an already impressive package rather than major changes.<\/p>\n\n\u201cIt was a very, very good showing, looking the way he looked. From my perspective, he would need to be a little sharper in the upper shoulder area, deltoids, and the back, from the trapezius, but his midsection is beautiful. His legs are beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
One thing Bannout does not want Dauda to sacrifice is his trademark combination of size<\/a> and aesthetics<\/a>. Dauda has pushed his body weight beyond 300 pounds during his preparations while maintaining the small waist<\/a> and flowing proportions that have separated him from many of his mass-monster<\/a> rivals.<\/p>\nBannout was particularly impressed that Dauda could carry that much size without losing his midsection.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen you weigh over 300 pounds, and you got that small waist, that tells us something.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
He even compared that advantage to reigning Olympia champion Derek Lunsford<\/a>, suggesting Lunsford\u2019s rib cage can protrude during certain poses and potentially hurt the overall appearance of his front double biceps.<\/p>\nBannout: \u2018I Think He\u2019s the Man to Win\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nMost importantly, Bannout does not believe Dauda needs to spend the remaining days aggressively chasing additional fat loss.<\/p>\n
Instead, the former champion wants him to concentrate on fine-tuning his peak<\/a>, finding the right balance between fullness, dryness and conditioning without sacrificing the enormous, aesthetic look that helped him win the Olympia two years ago.<\/p>\n\n
Dauda won the Men\u2019s Open title at the Europa Pro in Offenbach, Germany, on Sept. 13, giving him a chance to test his physique under competition lights less than two weeks before the Olympia. The appearance was particularly important after Dauda\u2019s pursuit of improved conditioning<\/a> contributed to him looking smaller and flatter during his fourth-place finish at the 2025 Olympia<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time around, Bannout believes Dauda has successfully brought back the size and shape that made him the 2024 Mr. Olympia. Now, he wants to see just a little more detail.<\/p>\n Bannout, who captured the Mr. Olympia title in 1983, praised what he saw from Dauda in Germany but identified conditioning through the upper body as one area that could still improve.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel Samson could actually get a little bit harder. Maybe it\u2019s a good idea for him to check his peak. Right now, he can make some adjustments to have a little bit thinner skin.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Bannout specifically pointed toward Dauda\u2019s shoulders, delts<\/a>, traps<\/a> and back<\/a>. He stressed that these were refinements to an already impressive package rather than major changes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very, very good showing, looking the way he looked. From my perspective, he would need to be a little sharper in the upper shoulder area, deltoids, and the back, from the trapezius, but his midsection is beautiful. His legs are beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One thing Bannout does not want Dauda to sacrifice is his trademark combination of size<\/a> and aesthetics<\/a>. Dauda has pushed his body weight beyond 300 pounds during his preparations while maintaining the small waist<\/a> and flowing proportions that have separated him from many of his mass-monster<\/a> rivals.<\/p>\n Bannout was particularly impressed that Dauda could carry that much size without losing his midsection.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you weigh over 300 pounds, and you got that small waist, that tells us something.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He even compared that advantage to reigning Olympia champion Derek Lunsford<\/a>, suggesting Lunsford\u2019s rib cage can protrude during certain poses and potentially hurt the overall appearance of his front double biceps.<\/p>\n Most importantly, Bannout does not believe Dauda needs to spend the remaining days aggressively chasing additional fat loss.<\/p>\n Instead, the former champion wants him to concentrate on fine-tuning his peak<\/a>, finding the right balance between fullness, dryness and conditioning without sacrificing the enormous, aesthetic look that helped him win the Olympia two years ago.<\/p>\n![\"Preferred](\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/wp-content\/themes\/generation-iron\/images\/preferred-source.webp\"\/)
<\/a><\/div>\nSamir Bannout Says Samson Dauda Needs to Get Harder<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Bannout: \u2018I Think He\u2019s the Man to Win\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n