The mega competition for bodybuilding, Arnold Classic 2023, is just 10 days away now. While many are still recovering from the unexpected winner announcements during Mr. Olympia 2022, the surprises didn’t end there. In fact, the dethroned Olympia winner, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay has signed into this year’s Arnold Classic. Although Ramy would want to regain his dominance in the bodybuilding world, the challenges are massively poised ahead of him.

In a recent The Muscle Maturity podcast, the 1983 Mr. Olympia winner Samir Bannout made a huge statement on Big Ramy that might hurt his fans. What did Bannout say about Ramy’s current condition? Let’s find out.

The bodybuilding veteran reveals his opinion on Big Ramy

After a disappointing performance in Mr. Olympia 2022, Big Ramy has been working hard to look his best once again, even though he wasn’t on the Arnold Classic roster at the beginning of the year. Casting his name in the roster came as a surprise to many. Another noteworthy inclusion was of the second runner-up of Mr. Olympia 2022, Nick Walker. But as Big Ramy disclosed his present improvements in his recent Instagram post, Bannout seemed to be unimpressed with his physique.

While speaking in the podcast about his condition, Bannout said, “Looking at the back, I mean… he looks — I don’t see major changes really as of now. Then again, this light is a little bit brighter for some reason.”

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He continued, “He looks pretty good. I mean, he looks pretty good. I don’t see a huge difference.” Further, as Ramy has been also taking the Stem cell, Bannout talked about it as well. He said, “Well, what is it the main reason, the stem cells are going to help him overall, but I think if there’s paralysis in certain areas… I don’t know, could it really activate the area where there’s kind of–we talked about it earlier.” 

Later in the podcast, Bannout opened up about his favorites in the upcoming Arnold Classic and revealed his top three. Can you guess who they are? Let’s find out.

Bannout’s top three in Arnold Classic 2023

As the event is closing by, the prediction time is here. Concerning the current physique disclosure by the contestants, the former bodybuilders have begun predicting their favorites for the title. Similarly, Samir Bannout revealed his top three. Interestingly, William Bonac, Shaun Clarida and Big Ramy—all three failed to make it into his list.

Instead, Bannout looked confident about Samson Dauda. As he talked about his physique, he found Dauda’s physique to be the most developed of them all. Other than that, Samir Bannout’s top three looks like the following:

1. Samson Dauda
2. Nick Walker
3. Andrew Jacked 

What do you think about Bannout’s prediction on Ramy? Moreover, what is your opinion on his top three picks? Let us know in the comments section. 

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