"He’s the best combination of everything" - Milos Sarcev believes Samson Dauda can beat top competition at the 2023 Olympia

Milos Sarcev is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder from Serbia. Throughout his career ranging from the late '80s to the early 2000s, Sarcev competed in eight Olympias. Since his retirement from professional competition, Sarcev has made a name for himself as a successful coach in the game. His star athlete, Samson Dauda, recently won the 2023 Arnold Classic.

Leading up to the Arnold Classic, Dauda was not the favorite to win the show. He was placed behind Nick Walker, Big Ramy, and Andrew Jacked by many critics. However, the improvements made by him and Sarcev proved to be fruitful as he took the title home. In a recent episode of the Cutler Cast podcast, Sarcev discussed Dauda's future in the sport. He said that he believes Dauda has what it takes to beat the likes of Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford.

"He’s the best combination of everything ... Can he beat Hadi and Derek? Yes."

While Sarcev is unsure whether the package Dauda brought to the Classic will be enough to do the aforementioned, he still believes it can be done.

"Would this conditioning and size beat them at Olympia? We’d have to see them lined up next to each other."

Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler agreed with Sarcev. However, he believes more work needs to be done before the 2023 Olympia. This includes thinning the skin a little more and 'listening to your body':

"I think now you’ve figured the formula and it’s just working to get the skin a little thinner as you progress ... It’s just routine now. I told him you’re going to have where you train harder and days where you train easier. You have to listen to your body. You’re in that click period and there’s a certain click period that people go through. I experienced this in my late 20s."

Cutler added that Dauda has peaked a little later in his career owing to his experience in the sport. The former Mr. Olympia believes that he now just has to focus on the finer details:

"I feel that his peak is a little delayed because of the experience and you’ve seen this crazy growth over the last year. But now, it’s just refinement of the skin thinning down a little bit better. Nothing else. Everything will improve. It’s all about just routine and training."

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Sarcev on Dauda's diet in preparation for the 2023 Arnold Classic

Cutting carbohydrates from the diet is a common practice in a variety of sports, including bodybuilding. This is because carbohydrates retain water, giving the skin a thicker appearance, which can potentially hide musculature.

Milos told Cutler that he did not make Dauda suffer through a zero-carb diet in preparation for the Arnold Classic.

"He was spot on. Now, it’s just strategizing. Play to your strengths. Do you think I put him on 0 carbs to just get him super lean? He’s been on a high-carb diet since the Olympia to pretty much till now. He dropped to 200 in a few days. He was not on low carbs. He didn’t suffer through dieting."

The 2023 Olympia is set to take place in November in Orlando, Florida. Samson Dauda will be met with heavy competition at the event, including current champion Hadi Choopan and second-place Derek Lunsford.