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by Christian Duque
The 2025 EVLS Prague Pro represents a fundamental change of the guard in the pecking order of Men’s Open Bodybuilding. This is a significant development in and of itself because this is a non Big 3 show. In bodybuilding, the three biggest contests (the Olympia, Arnold Classic, and NY Pro [formerly the Night of Champions]) are where things like this usually happen. The Prague Pro, however, marks the first time that Martin Fitzwater placed ahead of 2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda. And it was no fluke. Martin was chomping at his heels in Vegas, placing just one spot behind him at the 2025 Olympia.
Then Dauda – foolishly in my opinion – decided to throw his hat into Prague. At the Prague show, Fitzwater was defending his title, and riding high from his 5th place finish at the O. He’d finally defeated Nick Walker and the bodybuilding press was finally giving him the love he deserved. Samson, who clearly learned nothing from losing the Arnold to Derek just months after winning the Sandow, jumped into Prague after getting annihilated in Las Vegas. Just as I said when I reported on the announcement, “Samson is making a mistake.” And a mistake is exactly what he made. But the mistake for Dauda proved to be a blessing for Fitzwater. And here’s why.
It’s one thing to be better in the fans’ eyes, but it’s quite another to actually place higher and win shows. Back in 2024 when Martin got robbed at that year’s New York Pro, everyone knew he beat Nick Walker. I said it, Shawn Ray said it, Bob Cicherillo said it, too. And there were so many more pundits that couldn’t make heads or tails why the judges gave Walker the 3rd biggest title in bodybuilding when Martin was so much more deserving. In another article I just wrote for IronMag titled “Is Nick Walker A Paper Tiger?” I delve deeper into the idea that “The Mutant” is pumped up and propped up by the sport for financial gain. In reality, he’s not that dangerous.
Whatever may have happened at the 2024 NY Pro, its significance is key because it shows just how hard beating certain competitors is. In any event, the rivalry was born because Nick didn’t want to hear about a guy who was better than him taking 2nd to him. I could tell that it pissed Walker off to constantly be asked about Fitzwater. It sort of stole his thunder, but I didn’t feel bad for him because he walked away with the title and the bag. The next year, after many improvements, Nick and Martin faced off at the Pittsburgh Pro. Again, Nick placed ahead of Martin. That said, the 2025 Pittsburgh was the best Nick has ever brought. Later that year, Martin placed ahead of Nick at the 2025 Olympia. Finally, he beat him and something tells me, Nick will never place ahead of Martin again.
The 2025 Olympia marked a change of the guard between Fitzwater and Walker. Walker’s greatness, the illusion of his dominance was completely done away with. And not at some random show, either. This happened on the Olympia stage. That pretty much sealed the deal. And what’s interesting is that in a very real way the 2025 EVLS Prague Pro was another symbolic change of the guard because I suspect Samson will never place ahead of Martin again, either. One guy’s star is rising, while another guy’s star is plummeting. It’s sad because they’re both Hosstile sponsored athletes and they’re both friends. That said, Martin is friends with everybody. He’d prolly be friends with Nick, if Nick Walker wasn’t such an asshole.
The Martian is a super-likeable guy and he’s genuine. It’s hard to hate a guy like that. And that’s another reason why I think it makes him so incredibly dangerous. Just a few months ago, Martin was seen as a strong Top 10 competitor with tremendous potential, but the last two shows have solidified him as a top contender for the 2026 Olympia title. I’m not sure if he’s confirmed for the 2026 Arnold Classic, but I could see him getting a strong Top 3 there – if not winning it outright. At this point, all Martin needs to do is place really well in Columbus or NY and he’ll continue to be a top contender for the 2026 O. Guys like Nick Walker are yesterday’s news, and at the rate Samson’s going, he’s not too far behind. He insists upon not getting with a top coach and he seems content competing to the point he may potentially burnout.
The next guy Martin needs to best in open competition would be Derek and it may happen in Columbus. I totally think Martin can beat Derek and/or Hadi. Andrew Jacked will present a different challenge, but Martin can beat him, too. Right now, there’s no one that stands in The Martian’s way and that’s very significant because it means he could win a Sandow as early 2026. Imagine if Martin was able to be Mr. O.
I wrote about this in an article for StrengthAddicts where I raised a point made by Joe Pietaro of MuscleSport Mag. In a recent interview with Phil Heath, Pietaro raised the point that bodybuilding had not had a dominant Mr. Olympia since Heath’s day. He pointed out how the title passed by single-year winners in 2018 and 2019. He then pointed to Ramy’s short reign, followed by more single-year winners in Choopan, Lunsford, and Dauda. With Derek winning back the title, who’s to say how long he’ll hold on to it. The sport misses the days of having a dominant Mr. O.
Martin is structurally flawless, has great balance and symmetry, and brings in great muscularity. He’s also a conditioning freak. I think if Martin won the Sandow, he’d hold the title for years. He’s that good now and can be even better. I think the wins against Walker at the Olympia and Dauda in Prague will set Martin apart from those guys for good.
Do you think we’ll ever see Nick Walker or Samson Dauda place higher than The Martian in active competition again? I say no. I say Martin’s star will continue to soar. But what do you say? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. I also hope you’ll copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.
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