Bodybuilding is an international sport. Competitors can come from all over the world and make a positive impact. You can see proof of that statement right at the top of the sport in the form of Mr. Olympia Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. Samson Dauda is originally from Nigeria, but he calls the United Kingdom home now. He also hopes to call himself 2022 Arnold Classic Champion., which would be a big deal considering he started competing as an amateur in 2014. The British contender told Dennis James on The Menace Podcast that he and his girlfriend used trial and error to figure how he could progress on his competitive journey.
“We didn’t have anybody that’s done it before,” Dauda said. “Picking up as much as we could and cyphering it. If it worked, we would do that. If it doesn’t work, we would move on to the next one.”
The former rugby player has figured out what works for him, and it’s paid off. He’s competed in numerous shows around the world since his first amateur show, but 2021 was his breakout year. One major hurdle that had stood in his way was Nathan De Asha, who had placed ahead of him repeatedly. However, the tables turned at the 2021 Prague Pro when Dauda was crowned the winner. As a result, he’s also now qualified for the 2022 Olympia. He reflected fondly on that moment with James.
“It felt amazing. We battled a few times and (De Asha) was always the driving force. We did the Arnold (UK), he won. We did Italy, he won. I did Egypt, Regan (Grimes) won,” he recalled. Dauda admitted by the time he got to the Prague show, he was losing hope. It would be his coach, Milos Sarcev, that convinced him to take the chance to compete again.
“He told me ‘The physique you brought to the Arnold and Italy is not the same physique you have three weeks later. Now, I think you’re good enough to beat him,’” Dauda told James. Fortunately, he stuck it out and it worked in his favor. Samson Dauda had planned to shut it down, but he changed his mind and applied to compete in the 2022 Arnold Classic, and he was invited to be a part of the elite contest, which was a big moment for the rising star.
“I was jumping off the bed, bouncing up and down,” he recalled. He had heard prior to the list coming out that he could be on it, but he didn’t want to go all in until it was official. Once it did, he knew the time had come to get ready to compete in Columbus.
“Now it’s on.”
James and Dauda talk about training, his background, working with Sarcev, and more on this special episode of The Menace Podcast. Subscribe to the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel to see this and all the new episodes of TMP throughout the season.
