With only seven weeks to go until showtime, the odds on favorites at this year’s Mr. Olympia are nothing but speculation. But one thing is for certain: The 2019 Mr. Olympia will go down as one of the most controversial in the contest’s history. The ultimate prize is completely up for grabs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own thoughts on how it will all play out.
Here are my predictions on the top six contenders at this year’s Mr. Olympia.
Brandon Curry already beat everyone in this lineup this past March when he won the 31st Arnold Classic Ohio Championship. In the absence of the reigning Mr. Olympia, Shawn Rhoden, the former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath choosing to sit out to recover from injuries, and Big Ramy announcing his early exit from this year‘s competition citing shoulder complications, this year’s battlefield has been leveled to an equal ground. The possibilities for the guys vying for the 55th Joe Weider Sandow trophy are wide open. The reason I have Curry as the favorite here is because he’s consistently shown his progress in development, conditioning, and maturity—all while steadily moving toward the front of the pack.
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Per Bernal/Christopher Bailey / M+F Magazine
William Bonac vs. Roelly Winklaar
Second place is where the actual contest battle will be. It has been very close between Roelly Winklaar and William Bonac in the improvement department. Bonac has been leading the way in this back-and-forth battle by virtue of winning this year’s Arnold Classic Australia, but Winklaar bested Bonac at last year’s Mr. Olympia. These two will be the ones to watch, but I’m leaning slightly toward Winklaar knocking down Bonac again this year in light of Bonac’s split from his contest prep guru Neil Hill, who has guided Bonac at all of his previous Mr. Olympia outings.
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Christopher Bailey / M+F Magazine
Luke Sandoe
One of the surprises at the Mr. Olympia this year could come from the UK thanks to Luke Sandoe. Sandoe placed third at this year’s Arnold Classic, and with a little more refinement and control over his midsection, he could be one of the last five standing onstage this year in his first Olympia appearance should he win the Tampa Pro.
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Dexter Jackson
Rounding off the top five in this lineup, we could see a return of The Blade, Dexter Jackson who has been a perennial top-six finalist in the last decade of the Mr. Olympia contest. Dexter, who won the Sandow 11 years ago, has been chasing victory here ever since 2008. After falling to seventh place last year, Dexter will most definitely step up his game this year, and in the absence of arguably the three biggest names in the sport—Rhoden, Heath, and Ramy—The Blade could move comfortably into the top six once more at the ripe old age of 50.
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Christopher Bailey / M+F Magazine
Nathan DeAsha
The sixth place spot is up for grabs with no real frontrunner here—with the exception of Nathan DeAsha, who’s had some legal issues of his own distracting him recently. But competitors like Steve Kuclo, Cedric McMillan, Akim Williams, or Juan Morel could finally crack the elite six.
