“Scores are kind of phony” - Veteran coach Chris Aceto slams 2023 Arnold Classic results, backs Nick Walker
Veteran bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto, who has won 113 IFBB shows with the help of his 41 students, is considered one of the best coaches at a higher level.
In a most recent interview with a YouTube channel called RxMuscle, Aceto slammed the 2023 Arnold Classic judges for their miscalculations. He also backed Nick Walker over newly crowned champion Samson Dauda.
"The litmus test is, where do your eyes go back to? You look at one, you look at the other, you’re not sure. It’s probably where the eyes return to. That is the gut feel by the judge to like, ‘Okay, this is the guy I’m going to have in first'. With regards to the scores, this unanimous stuff, I’ve said this on the show a million times, the scores are kind of phony."
Chris Aceto shares his thoughts on the 2023 Arnold Classic
The 2023 Arnold Classic took place in the first week of March in Columbus, Ohio. Initially, Blessing Awodibu withdrew from the tournament days after the roster was announced.
However, after the organizers increased the prize pool and Men's Open Category's prize money to $300,000, many bodybuilders jumped into the competition.
Nick Walker, Big Ramy, and Andrew Jacked were the notable entrants in the competition. On the day of pre-judging, Walker, Dauda, and Jacked were already called upon to sideline the two-time Olympia champion Big Ramy.
Seasoned Bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto's student Andrew Jacked placed third behind Samson Dauda and Nick Walker.
However, Aceto did not quite digest Dauda's win. He said that the scores were phony, and Walker's incredible condition was ignored.
Chris Aceto also believed that Big Ramy was the fullest in terms of muscle on the stage. However, he believed Walker was again slightly better than Ramy, just like he was during the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Aceto emphasized that if there was a one-on-one battle between Samson Dauda and Nick Walker, the latter would have won the match easily. According to him, Walker was the 'odd' guy between Samson, Jacked, and himself.
He went on to say that despite having an undefeated record, Dauda never achieved a unanimous decision from the judges. He also felt that 'The Mutant' lacked balance and proportion and belonged in third place rather than second.
Walker recently gave advice on maintaining polite discourse over the outcome in light of the unfavorable fan reaction.
Aceto is optimistic that Andrew Jacked will challenge for the Mr. Olympia crown in his rematch. Jacked has to win a professional show in order to receive an invitation because he finished outside the top five the previous year.
The most recent industry authority to weigh in on the 35th Arnold Classic is Chris Aceto. Before him, coach Milos Sarcev of Dauda shared his opinions on the result as well.
Nick Walker's lower and upper body appeared out of proportion, according to Sarcev, since his legs lacked Olympia's bulk. Sarcev claimed that Dauda would be able to upset this year's runner-up Derek Lunsford and current champion Hadi Choopan by the time the 2023 Olympia rolls around.