{"id":9766,"date":"2026-01-14T13:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=9766"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:59:12","slug":"this-isnt-the-end-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=9766","title":{"rendered":"“This Isn’t The End” \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The 2025 Mr. Olympia Weekend<\/a> was full of shock-and-awe moments, especially in the star-studded Men\u2019s Open division. Former champion Samson Dauda<\/a> issued his first statement since his drop to fourth place a day after the event, on October 12.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cSometimes doing everything right still doesn\u2019t give you the result you hoped for,\u201d Dauda shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Muscle-bound athletes spanning all 11 IFBB Pro League divisions squared off to be named the number one bodybuilder in their class. The top of the ticket was teeming with Open Bodybuilding stars like Dauda, Derek Lunsford<\/a>, Hadi Choopan<\/a>, Andrew Jacked<\/a>, Martin Fitzwater<\/a>, and more. In the end, it was Lunsford who reclaimed his Mr. Olympia title, joining Jay Cutler as only the second Open talent in history to pull that off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Known for taking gambles (like competing at the 2025 Arnold Classic<\/a> as the Mr. Olympia), Dauda guest posed<\/a> just weeks before heading to Vegas. His condition was all the bodybuilding world was talking about, yet his package didn\u2019t translate like he thought it would on stage. Dauda seemed a little soft and smaller during prejudging but tightened up for the finals. Despite the adjustments, it was too much ground to make up for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This result puts Dauda in a peculiar spot. For so long, judges and the community have urged him to bring better condition<\/a>, but when he finally did so, it threw off the size and fullness that he\u2019s been known for. With time to reflect on the drop, he gave fans some insight into his mentality on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Samson Dauda Reacts to 4th-Place Drop at 2025 Mr. Olympia: \u201cIt Hurts\u201d<\/h2>\n
\"Samson\"Samson
Samson Dauda at 2025 Olympia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Instagram post, Dauda, still processing the results fully, expressed disappointment. While he heeded the judges\u2019 feedback to come in leaner and sharper, he said he paid the price for not being a \u2018bigger version.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

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