With just days to go until the 61st edition of Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, one of bodybuilding’s greatest legends has shared his official forecast for how this year’s Men’s Open division will unfold — and it’s already sparking serious debate in the sport’s fanbase.
Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman has shared his Top 10 prediction on social media ahead of the October 10–11 event, which will be streamed live via Olympia TV’s pay-per-view.
Coleman, now 61, knows exactly what it takes to win on bodybuilding’s most prestigious stage — and this year, he believes we’ll see a familiar name reclaim the throne.
The former champion — who dominated the Olympia stage from 1998 to 2005 — gave a detailed breakdown of his reasoning, analyzing each contender’s physique, conditioning, and trajectory heading into the weekend.
Coleman’s 2025 Mr. Olympia Top 10:
- First Place – Hadi Choopan
- Second Place – Nick Walker
- Third Place – Derek Lunsford
- Fourth Place – Samson Dauda
- Fifth Place – Andrew Jacked
- Sixth Place – NO PICK
- Seventh Place – Rafael Brandao
- Eighth Place – Behrooz Tabani
- Ninth Place – Brandon Curry
- Tenth Place – Rubiel Mosquera
Check out Coleman’s full breakdown below:
Coleman placed Iran’s Hadi Choopan in the top spot, predicting that “The Persian Wolf” will bounce back from his runner-up finish last year to reclaim the Sandow trophy he first won in 2022.
Behind him, Coleman tipped Nick Walker to make a huge return after injury setbacks kept him out of the 2023 and 2024 Olympias.
“He’s got immaculate shape here in the pictures I’m looking at,” Coleman said. “He’s got a great back, great hamstrings, glutes. He’ll be Mr. Olympia, for sure. Just a little bit more traction on him and he’ll be right there.”
Walker’s resurgence has been one of the key storylines heading into the weekend, with the 30-year-old New Jersey native drawing attention for his density and posing improvements in recent months.
Coleman surprised fans by placing reigning champion Samson Dauda in fourth, despite the Brit’s dominant performance in 2024. Dauda became the first British-born bodybuilder to win the Olympia title, edging out Choopan and Lunsford in a razor-tight decision.
“The only thing I can see with Samson is just a little bit more separation,” Coleman explained. “Conditioning needs to be brought up just a little bit, and I think Samson — he’s got a great back shot. Glutes, hamstrings could come up a little bit, but he’s a force.”
In third, Coleman went with Derek Lunsford, the 2023 champion and a consistent podium threat since moving up from the 212 division. He also spotlighted Andrew Jacked as a rising force to watch, praising the Nigerian-born athlete’s symmetry and structure, while reserving special praise for Rubiel Mosquera, saying the Colombian newcomer has “future Mr. Olympia written all over him” once he fills out his frame.
This year’s Mr. Olympia — held at Resorts World Las Vegas — will see 20 athletes qualify for the Men’s Open division (via IFBB Pro League). Among the confirmed entrants are Choopan (Iran), Dauda (UK), Lunsford (USA), Walker (USA), and 2019 champion Brandon Curry, who Coleman believes could still crack the top five “if he nails his conditioning”, but who Coleman says won’t win the title moving forward.
The 20 men going for the title are as follows:
- Hadi Choopan (Iran)
- Urs Kalecinski (Germany)
- Martin Fitzwater (USA)
- Chenglong Shen (China)
- Dorian Haywood (USA)
- Akim Williams (USA)
- Vitalii Ugolnikov (Brazil)
- Nick Walker (USA)
- Tonio Burton (USA)
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
- Chinedu Obiekea (UAB)
- Behrooz Tabani (Iran)
- Brandon Curry (USA)
- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Brett Wilkin (USA)
- Jordan Hutchinson (USA)
- Rubiel Mosquera (Colombia)
- Derek Lunsford (USA)
- Sasan Heirati (UK)
- Samson Dauda (UK)
And the Ms Olympia qualifiers are as follows:
- Alcione Santos Barreto (Brazil)
- Leyvina Barros (Brazil)
- Nadia Capotosto (Italy)
- Chelsea Dion (USA)
- Tiana Flex (South Africa)
- Selyka Givan (USA)
- Hunter Henderson (USA)
- Ashley Lynnette Jones (USA)
- Anastasia Korableva (Romania)
- Natalia Kovaleva (USA)
- Martina Lopez (Spain)
- Melissa Teich (USA)
- Angela Yeo (USA)
- Andrea Shaw (USA)
Pre-judging for the men’s division begins Friday night (October 10), with finals set for Saturday at 10:00PM ET (October 11).
The total prize purse is expected to fall between $1.5 million and $2 million, with the winner potentially taking home upward of $600,000, matching last year’s payout to Dauda (via Sporting News).
Coleman’s Olympia preview also brought smiles to fans’ faces considering he nearly lost his life after battling a serious health scare earlier this year. The bodybuilding icon was hospitalized with sepsis in June, spending nearly two weeks in intensive care before his family confirmed he was in recovery.
During his time in hospital, his loved ones launched a fundraising initiative called “Ronnie Strong”, pledging to donate proceeds to Sepsis Alliance, a nonprofit supporting research and awareness for the condition.
Doctors warned that recovery from sepsis can take anywhere from six to 18 months, but Coleman was already back in the gym and training back in August.
Can Choopan Reclaim The Crown?
If Hadi Choopan wins this year, he’ll join Jay Cutler as only the second bodybuilder in history to lose the Mr. Olympia title and regain it. But he’ll have to fend off an increasingly competitive field — including a hungry Dauda defending his crown, and Lunsford eager to prove he’s not a one-hit wonder.
Whatever happens under the lights in Las Vegas, one thing is certain: the man who once redefined muscle mass and symmetry still has an unmatched eye for greatness.
“I’ve been there, I’ve done that,” Coleman said. “At the end of the day, it all comes down to who brings the best package. And this year, Hadi looks like that guy.”
The 2025 Mr. Olympia finals take place Saturday, October 11, at Resorts World Las Vegas, with live streaming available exclusively on OlympiaTV.
Featured image credit: YouTube/@RonnieColeman
