"He was the most ready": Samir Bannout slams 2023 Arnold Classic judges while defending Nick Walker

Lebanese retired bodybuilder Samir Bannout won the most prestigious Sandow trophy in 1983. He is often seen sharing his views boldly on various bodybuilding topics.

In a recent Muscle Maturity podcast, Bannout defended Nick Walker and slammed the judges of the 2023 Arnold Classic for overlooking him as the winner. He said,

"Nick’s skin was like paper thin. I can tell you, Nick was more ready – he was the most ready for sure. Whether he filled up completely or not, I don’t think he looked bad, worse than the Olympia. I don’t think so. Even if he was a bit fuller."

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Samir Bannout slams the 2023 Arnold Classic judges

The 2023 Arnold Classic competition concluded in the first week of March. It ran from March 2 to March 5. Unexpectedly, Samson Dauda won the show and earned a whopping prize of $300,000. He defeated the likes of Nick Walker, Andrew Jacked, Big Ramy, and Shaun Clarida.

Many veterans have slammed the judging of the 35th Arnold Classic. The latest to join the discussion was Samir Bannout, who felt that Walker should have been the winner instead of Dauda because of his incredible conditioning.

According to the 1983 Olympia champion, 'symmetry, muscularity, and presentation' must be the criteria for winning any IFBB pro competition. He later on backed The Mutant to have better symmetry.

Samir Bannout felt that Nick Walker brought the best conditioining to the competition. He also felt that Walker might have missed out on loading himself before the pre-judging and finals. Even Walker's mother said that it was important for him to load out nutrients before the show. Bannout revealed that when Arnold used to compete, he himself used to load in hefty amounts for better fullness.

Interestingly, The Mutant, who ranked fourth in 2022 Mr. Olympia was the highest-ranked Olympia competitor this year. Behind him was Big Ramy, who finished fifth in the competition held last year in December.

Samir Bannout also emphasized that Walker lost to Dauda because the latter had better body flow. He also advised Walker to go back to the drawing board and figure out different ways to win the competition.

Nick Walker spoke about coming in second place on a recent Mutant & The Mouth Podcast after having a week to reflect on his performance. Walker, who previously won the Arnold Classic, feels that his loss wasn't a convincing one.

In the next Mr. Olympia competition, which gets under way in November, both Walker and Dauda will try to defeat the champion-elect Hadi Choopan. As for Bannout, he suggests that Walker work on his posture in order to make up for any stage flaws the following time he competes.

Several eminent coaches offered their opinions on the outcome in the days that followed. Milos Sarcev, Dauda's trainer, asserted that "The Nigerian Lion" triumphed because Walker's quads lacked the volume seen in his previous Mr. Olympia.

Chris Aceto, on the other hand, reacted favorably to the contentious Ohio judgment. He said that the results were questionable and claimed that, in a head-to-head match, Walker would have defeated Dauda. Samir Bannout is the most recent seasoned bodybuilder to voice his opinion on the subject.