Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of buzz around the Mr. Olympia 2022 competition slated to hold this weekend in Las Vegas. Industry greats have conducted analyses and reviews, and made their opinions after looking at the competitors’ physiques.
Generally, the main event in Mr. Olympia is the Men’s Open Bodybuilding. In men’s bodybuilding, there is also the Classic Physique Division, the Men’s Open Division, and the 212 Olympia. These different divisions have their various requirements for qualifying and participating.
The Classic Physique Division is different from the open division. While Christian Bumstead has won the “Olympia” three years in a row, he doesn’t compete in the Men’s Open division. Instead, he competes in Classic Physique. Open-building competitors usually weigh as heavy as 300 pounds today and are much bigger and wider than competitors in other divisions.
We have compiled a list of predictions from popular people in the bodybuilding industry, and have created our own predictions based on this. Here’s our list of who we think will be the top six at the Mr. Olympia 2022 this weekend.
Big Ramy
Mamdouh Elssbiay, popularly known as Big Ramy is an Egyptian bodybuilder who has won the Olympia two times in a row already – in 2020 and 2021. Many industry greats say it is because of his huge size, which is complemented by his muscle fullness and striations. It is also impossible to ignore his shoulders, which is a strong point for him.
Mamdouh Elssbiay outsizes and outweighs everyone. It is no wonder he’s called Big Ramy. Having been the runner-up at the 2017 Mr. Olympia, he has experience going up against the likes of seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, Phil Heath. He is also relaxed because he is coming to defend a title he has won for the last two years.
Everyone agrees that it would take a big slip-up for Big Ramy to lose. In fact, he is on virtually every Olympia prediction list as number one. Ronnie Coleman did not only predict that he would win but also congratulated him on his third Olympia title. I guess we just have to wait and see how well Big Ramy would defend his title.
Brandon Curry
Brandon Curry won the Mr. Olympia in 2019. He has been the runner-up to Big Ramy for the last two years, placing above Phil Heath in the 2020 Olympia. But are those the only reasons he is on our list? No. He also has a great physique and a clear passion for the sport.
Everyone knows how instrumental a good back can be in winning a bodybuilding competition, and Brandon Curry has one. His form is great, and he looks like a good contender for the title – the closest to winning in the event of a Big Ramy slip-up. Brandon has hardly posted physique updates from his Mr. Olympia prep, so maybe he plans to surprise everyone with his best form yet. The fans will find out come Olympia weekend.
Hadi Choopan
Hadi Choopan placed third in the 2019 and 2021 Olympia. From his updates on Instagram, it is clear that he is stage-ready and is trying a shot at the title this year. Trained by Hany Rambod, the experienced coach who also trains the likes of Andrei Deiu and Derek Lunsford, Hadi seems motivated. It won’t come as a shock if he places third.
However, with his experience at the Olympia, Hadi Choopan may have something in store for us that we do not expect. From the pictures we can see, his arms are big and his abs seem well tucked in. It is difficult to say the same for most top athletes in open bodybuilding in the last few years. So, a well-tucked midsection may be a strong point for the Persian giant.
William Bonac
In his Mr. Olympia debut, William Bonac placed 15th. And ever since, his performance has gotten better consistently. In 2017, he placed third. And in 2019, the year Brandon Curry won the Olympia, he placed second. With an obvious knack for improvement, William Bonac is unpredictable. He could cause some serious upset at the Olympia. He has the physique and the form, not to mention his dreadlocks which, perhaps, have become a vital part of his stage presence.
William Bonac looks like he perfectly understands how to create the illusion of a tight waist. His legs look just big enough for his upper body, and his quads would outshine most people’s. With symmetry like that, he will likely place high at the competition this weekend. I can’t wait to see what he brings to the stage at Mr. Olympia 2022.
Nick Walker
Nick Walker qualified for the Olympia by winning the Arnold Classic, and he competed in the 2021 Olympia, where he placed fifth. It was his first time! One thing special about Nick is his legs. He has varicose veins in his calf area, and they look like curled-up snakes. While some people have criticized this vascularity, others don’t think it’s detrimental to his physique. In fact, they think it’s aesthetic.
Although new to open bodybuilding, Nick Walker has been mentioned a lot in conversations about Mr. Olympia 2022. He has said on a podcast that he will shock those who think he does not have the ability to place high. He sounds confident, and why not? He has achieved so much success, and he is only 28. He only became an IFBB pro last year, and he’s come so far.
Of course, whether Nick Walker will win or place high is dependent on what he brings to the stage and not what he says. And it does look like he will bring his best. We think he’ll place fifth, but he’s obviously aiming higher. Perhaps, his conditioning will match his confidence, and he’ll end up placing higher. We’ll see.
Samson Dauda
And now to the last person on the list, Samson Dauda. In July, Samson’s coach, Milos Sarcev, announced that he weighed 312 pounds, emphasizing that he still had clearly visible abs. Samson went on to announce that he weighed 330 pounds in an Instagram post from August, and he looked absolutely freakish.
Samson has not talked much about how he feels about the Mr. Olympia 2022, except that he’s working really hard. However, Milos Sarcev has hyped him up at every turn, and rightfully so, because I also think Samson is a tad bit underrated.
Nicknamed the Nigerian Lion, Samson Dauda really does look like a lion. The Nigerian athlete has an Olympia-worthy physique, and even though it’s his debut, he looks like he could place higher than many experienced competitors.
Final Thoughts
There are many other competitors that people in the industry think will place high. I think athletes like Derek Lunsford, Hunter Labrada, and Michael Krizo deserve honorable mentions. Quite a few stakeholders have said that this may be the most competitive Olympia ever, and the contesters have not come to play.
There is a lot of buzz about this year’s edition of Mr. Olympia 2022 because the newbies have crazy physiques. Athletes who have placed high previously have to sit up because they may not defend their placings successfully against the other hungry and motivated athletes.
Everyone is curious as to how it will go down, but I guess we have to wait until the weekend to see who will win the 2022 Mr. Olympia and find out if these predictions are correct. Happy watching!
Author Bio
Allwell Igboejesi is a fitness and bodybuilding enthusiast who has been involved in different forms of strength and resistance training since 2015. He is also a creative content writer with experience in various fields such as career advice and technology.
Connect with Allwell online via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allwelligboejesi/
Tags: bodybuilders, bodybuilding, Mr. Olympia, Olympia
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