Dennis James and others point to the favorites for this year's Arnold Classic. Plus, the stream will be free!

Some fans are still absorbing impressions of Olympia, which still resonates across the sporting spectrum. For example, the legendary Branch Warren recently said that he'd won at Olympia and the other competitors were pretty soft. But let's take a moment to focus on the future, because there are a number of exciting races coming up this season, including the Arnold Classic, which will take place in the UK in addition to Ohio, USA, after a one-year hiatus.

And it was the American contest, which is by default one of the most prestigious competitions in the bodybuilding world, that Milos Sarcev, Dennis James and Chris Cormier focused on in a recent podcast as they picked their favourites for the upcoming event, which will take place at the turn of February and March. And to make matters worse, Milos Sarcev also revealed details about Samson Dauda's injury.

Of the competitors who have confirmed their participation so far, one of the biggest surprises is undoubtedly Mr. Olympia 2022 Hadi Choopan, who will make his debut on the Arnold boards. In addition, Rubiel Mosquera will also be among the heavyweights, who cannot be praised by Nick Walker or James Hollingshead or Marcello de Angelis, for example.

Favourites according to Milos Sarchev

Favourites by Dennis James

Favourites by Chris Cormier

And although Andrew Jacked later announced his non-participation, the names of Hadi and Samson were repeated in the first positions of all three athletes.

"I spoke to him and yes, he snapped his hamstring doing an isolated standing leg bend. And it was really painful. He was doing cardio when I talked to him. And I guess it was still painful, he said he was going to give it a week off. But he's fully engaged in his training and he really believes he can do it again, that he's up to it."

Milos Sarchev justified his choice of the favourite. He also admitted that even though Samson is probably not close to Hadi in terms of muscle volume, he can beat him in terms of readiness.

According to the latest information, it looks like the live broadcast from the American Arnold Classic will be free of charge and bodybuilding fans around the world will be able to watch one of the highlights of the bodybuilding season live. And of course, we will keep you updated in due course with a written report.