The 2024 champion finished second to Nick Walker<\/a>, 20 points to 18, in a system where the lowest total wins. \u201cI\u2019m proud of the show we brought this year,\u201d he told Tony Doherty of NPC News Online after the finals.<\/p>\n The look that did not fit Dauda\u2019s 2025 is the key to his 2026. He arrived in Las Vegas last year as the defending champion, noticeably smaller, and dropped to fourth. He told Doherty exactly what went wrong.<\/p>\n For three years, he said, he had held himself back from adding muscle, because the message was always that he was big enough. Last year he went further and cut down in search of conditioning.<\/p>\n Get Fitter, Faster<\/p>\n Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n \u201cWe came down to 280, 282 and it was just a look that did not suit my frame at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The result stung at the time. The day after the 2025 show he posted that \u201csometimes doing everything right still doesn\u2019t give you the result you hoped for,\u201d as we reported then<\/a>. By December he was talking about building up to 350 pounds<\/a> in the off-season.<\/p>\n A year of growing<\/p>\n This time, Dauda said, he and his team stopped listening to outside advice. \u201cCompared to last year, we did our own thing this year,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t let anybody tell us what we needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n The plan was to get the lost muscle back and build on top of it, and he said his body responded almost immediately. By the time he reached Las Vegas he was 310 pounds.<\/p>\n He also used the Europa Pro, which he won on September 13, as a dress rehearsal for the bigger body. \u201cYou have to have a test and not use the biggest showing of the year as your testing ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Friday versus Saturday<\/p>\n The scorecard shows where the two points went. Dauda was third after Friday\u2019s prejudging with 15 points, behind Walker\u2019s 8 and Derek Lunsford<\/a>\u2019s 9. On Saturday he posted a finals score of 5, which matched the best round score recorded all weekend. Our 2026 Mr. Olympia scorecard explainer<\/a> breaks down how that added up to second place.<\/p>\n Get Fitter, Faster<\/p>\n Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n Dauda said the pattern was no surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter how good I come out on Friday, Saturday, 24 hours of drying out, you\u2019re going to look even drier,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s always the case with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Two friends on the top two steps<\/p>\n The man who beat him is a friend. Dauda said he and Walker had talked after the 2025 Olympia, when both left disappointed, and agreed it would not happen again.<\/p>\n \u201cTo have both of us stand there, you know, I couldn\u2019t feel more prouder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Walker returned the compliment in his own interview with Doherty. \u201cThat\u2019s what you call a fighter,\u201d he said of Dauda.<\/p>\n Sixth, third, first, fourth, second: Dauda\u2019s Olympia arc<\/p>\n That is Dauda\u2019s Olympia record since his debut in 2022, and he does not think he has found his ceiling yet. \u201cI want to make sure that every year I am pushing to be a better version of myself every single time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Every placing and score from the Men\u2019s Open is in our 2026 Mr. Olympia bodybuilding results<\/a>, and his full contest history is on his athlete page<\/a>. Derek Lunsford, who finished third, explained his night in his own interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you have any questions or need further clarification about this news, please leave a comment below<\/a>, and Tom will get back to you as soon as possible.<\/p>\n \n Follow FitnessVolt Also find us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, X (Twitter)<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Tip: Signed in to Google? Tap Follow for instant updates.<\/p>\n Every division, every placing, and the score sheets from the 2026 Olympia.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Samson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Samson-Dauda-at-Prejudging-929x1024.jpg\"\/ "\\"Samson")
Samson Dauda at Prejudging (Image via @mrolympiallc)<\/p>\n
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