Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe Believes Former Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda Can Reclaim the Sandow in 2026.
The bodybuilding world has plenty of opinions about who will walk away with the Sandow at the 2026 Mr. Olympia, and now NFL legend Shannon Sharpe has entered the prediction game.
Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion and longtime fitness enthusiast, was recently asked who he has winning this year’s Mr. Olympia. Rather than going with reigning champion Derek Lunsford or another member of the stacked Men’s Open field, Sharpe threw his support behind 2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda.
“Man, I wanna see Samson. Hopefully Samson bounces back.”
Sharpe’s prediction came before Dauda stepped onstage at the 2026 Europa Pro in Offenbach, Germany, where the former Olympia champion ultimately scored a victory just 11 days before the biggest bodybuilding show of the year.
Shannon Sharpe Believes Samson Dauda Can Bounce Back
“Unc” did more than simply pick Dauda. Sharpe also offered his assessment of what went wrong for “The Nigerian Lion” during his previous Olympia appearance.
“He dieted down too much. He was too flat last year,” Sharpe explained.
It is an interesting observation from someone outside the competitive bodybuilding industry. Sharpe has remained famously dedicated to training throughout his post-NFL career, but he also acknowledged one of the realities of judging an Olympia lineup: Instagram updates and individual posing videos only tell part of the story.
“Everybody looks good when they standing by themselves…When you see the top lineup when they standing next to each other, then you like, ‘Okay. Okay.’ That’s really where you can assess it. That’s the only way you can assess it.”
That point will become particularly important in 2026. Dauda is attempting to climb back to the top of a Men’s Open division loaded with elite contenders, and his recent focus has been on bringing additional size without sacrificing the conditioning and detail needed to win another Sandow.
Dauda’s Europa Pro Appearance Adds Intrigue to Sharpe’s Pick
Sharpe made his prediction before Dauda’s unusual decision to compete at the Europa Pro so close to the Olympia.
Dauda entered the September 13 contest as essentially a high-level test run. He previously explained that competing before the Olympia would provide his team with valuable information about his physique and help them dial in his peak for the main event.
The gamble paid off, at least in terms of the result. Dauda won the Men’s Open title in Germany, giving him a chance to see his physique under contest lights before turning his full attention toward the Olympia.
Whether that translates into another Olympia championship remains to be seen. As Sharpe pointed out, the real evaluation begins when Dauda is no longer standing alone and instead has the best bodybuilders in the world lined up beside him.
Image embed via YouTube @hanyrambod_FST7
