Nick Walker has qualified for the 2025 Mr Olympia competition at the New York Pro, but “The Mutant” says he was debating whether or not he should even enter, after a hurtful loss to Derek Lunsford at The Pittsburgh Pro made him question everything.
“I feel great now, after last weekend,” said Walker in a post victory interview with The Muscle Maturity Podcast. “I feel fantastic. You know, we finally got our Olympia qualification, and we became the (first three-time) champion of the New York Pro.” Addressing his loss to Lunsford just one week prior in Pittsburgh, Walker said he “came back better” in New York. Still, bodybuilding can be a brutal business, and “The Mutant” says that failing to get past Lunsford “hurt.” In fact, it rocked Walker so much that he had to seriously think about his next move. “It was actually not the best time,” he revealed. “I was even debating doing this, that’s how p***d I was.”
Walker explained that following that verdict, which saw him come a close second in Pittsburgh, he didn’t sleep “at all” that night. And with all that pent up energy, Walker revealed that he was up by 7am the next day doing cardio. But after burning off some of his frustrations, the popular bodybuilder conferred with his coach, Kyle Wilkes, and made the decision to make a definitive statement in New York. The Mutant admits that he really just needed a moment to “sulk a little bit.” Well, don’t we all?
Nick Walker Won Big at the 2025 New York Pro
In a stacked show, The Mutant bested the likes of William Bonac, Michal Krizanek and Regan Grimes to win a Men’s Open Division 2025 Mr. Olympia qualification, and a cool $30,000 in prize money. He also became the first three-time New York Pro champion at the event. This also now sets up the long-awaited rematch on stage against the 2023 Mr Olympia winner Derek Lunsford, but both men will have their work cut out because “The Nigerian Lion,” Samson Dauda is looking to repeat last year’s success and win his second title. One thing is for sure; there’s everything to play for this October in Las Vegas.
