The former Olympia champ seems primed to retake the title.
Compared to some of his peers, Brandon Curry’s approach to sharing updates on his progress in preparation for the 2022 Mr. Olympia is a little more discrete. The 2019 Olympia winner may share occasional tidbits from his training, like other top bodybuilders, but he hasn’t been one to regularly disclose many concrete notes about his physique during the 2022 calendar year. With the next iteration of the contest looming on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, the elite bodybuilder set the table for where he stands.
On Nov. 28, 2022, during an appearance on a podcast with Fouad Abiad Media, Curry discussed expectations for the 2022 Olympia. In the process, while he wasn’t specific because he wanted to “keep things quiet,” the athlete noted that he weighed “above 260 pounds” at the time of the interview. Then, he broke down his outlook for the massive December contest.
For the most part, Curry has kept his nose to the grindstone in recent months. After winning the 2022 Arnold Classic in March, it seems apparent the star bodybuilder kept his head down, honing his physique through strength-building and nutrition.
After revealing his approximate body weight, Curry outlined who he thinks will finish in the top 10. Unsurprisingly, the athlete has himself winning for the second time in four years in Las Vegas.
Brandon Curry | 2022 Mr. Olympia Top 10 Prediction
- Brandon Curry
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
- William Bonac
- Hadi Choopan
- Rafael Brandao
- Michal Križánek
- Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obiekea
- Samson Dauda
- Hunter Labrada
- Nick Walker
While he has questions about his overall conditioning, Curry appears to be a fan of debuting Olympia competitor Križánek, in particular. The seasoned Olympia athlete believes Križánek brings enough to the table with other aspects of his body to shine.
“He’s [Križánek] so new, he’s a big guy,” Curry explained. “I think he’s got to get his conditioning better for this show, and he’s going to make an impact this year … I think his conditioning is going to be better by the Olympia. I mean, he’s been dieting for how long? I think the separation in his legs and the shape is going to carry him enough.”
As for his honesty about athletes like Walker — who enters the 2022 Olympia riding a wave of hype — Curry thinks “The Mutant” hasn’t improved enough from his fifth-place debut at the 2021 iteration.
“To me, he [Walker] looks similar to last year’s pre-tanner,” Curry said. “[When] you put the tanner on him, I think he’ll look similar to last year. I don’t think there’s a dramatic difference. I know he’s going to be hard and conditioned.”
Ultimately, Curry thinks comparisons to Walker’s on-stage competitors will be a significant challenge to his Olympia chances.
“His [Walker] thing is, how many comparisons are they going to put him through?” Curry maintained. “That’s going to be the Achilles heel for him. I think the more comparisons he [Walker] has to go through, the more he’ll start to fade.”
With roughly only two weeks to go before the 2022 Olympia at the time of this writing, Curry will soon unveil the physique he’s been keeping under wraps. Whether he makes good on his predictions — especially in capturing a second career Olympia title — is something the bodybuilding world will only know when this former champion returns to the stage.
Featured image: @brandon__curry on Instagram
