Fred “Biggie” Smalls thinks it’s comparing apples and oranges with Hadi Choopan to the rest of the top Olympia contenders.
We are still uncertain as to whether or not Hadi Choopan will be able to make it to the US next week for the Olympia 2020. Regardless, he is technically on the list to compete. He surprised many when he placed 3rd in Men’s Open in 2019. Will he be able to do the same or better this year? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Fred “Biggie” Smalls makes his predictions for Hadi Choopan at Olympia 2020.
Fred “Biggie” Smalls is not competing this year at the Mr. Olympia. This gives us a slightly more unbiased view as to who he thinks will perform best a the big show. That’s why we asked for his predictions in the Men’s Open during our video interview.
While it’s certain that Shawn Rhoden will not be competing this year, Fred “Biggie” Smalls still had hope to see him on the Olympia stage in 2020. He thought that Rhoden was one of the only other athletes who could potentially take down Phil Heath.
That’s not to say he underrates Brandon Curry. He believes that many fans in the sport are underestimating what Curry can do. Smalls has seen Curry in peak conditioning outside of the stage. He knows that Curry is capable of pulling off an even greater physique than his Olympia 2019 win. If he can time his prep perfectly – he will be a true threat on the Olympia stage.
But what about Hadi Choopan? While it’s still uncertain whether or not he will be able to compete – he is scheduled to appear alongside Phil Heath, Brandon Curry, and Big Ramy among other top contenders. With a bigger lineup than last year – can Hadi pull off the same results? Can he do better?
Fred “Biggie” Smalls is in awe of Hadi Choopan’s conditioning. He’s not afraid to say that Hadi potentially has the most shredded conditioning out of the entire line up. But the problem, in Smalls’ eyes, is that Hadi has a different overall build and shape than his competitors. Smalls sees Hadi as the odd man out in the Men’s Open Olympia.
The problem, as Smalls sees it, is that with so many other top tier competitors holding a different kind of body structure – it’s inevitable that Hadi will look off in comparison. That doesn’t mean he has a bad physique. It just is too different to compare favorably. Fred “Biggie” Smalls sees Hadi Choopan compared to the rest as “apples and oranges.”
While Hadi Choopan’s third place finish last year was certainly impressive and well deserved, Fred “Biggie” Smalls thinks he will be bumped down due to the return of athletes like Big Ramy and Phil Heath.
Of course, we’ve all been surprised before and hopefully this year’s event brings in a few upsets and shocks. We’ll find out next weekend when the event kicks into high gear.
Until then, you can watch Fred “Biggie” Smalls’ full comments on the Olympia 2020 in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
