On December 17, Samson Dauda made a remark that sounded strikingly similar to MMA superstar Conor McGregor, “Everything I ever wished or dreamed of achieving—and I’m not even exaggerating—I’ve achieved.” Sitting down with Jay Davies, the former Mr. Olympia, expressed that he had checked off everything on his checklist.

“I’ve traveled the world. I’ve won the Arnold and the Olympia. I’ve got a big house. I’ve driven all the supercars I could ever dream about. I’ve married my partner, my wife, the person I’m sharing this life with. I’ve done all of it,” Dauda doubled down on his statement.

Dauda further explained that he even has some things he never knew he would own, such as, “owning a gym—a private gym—that wasn’t even something I ever thought about. That was just a bonus point.”

As the 2024 Mr. Olympia spoke about living his dream, Davies chimed in, noting that his journey was eerily similar to Conor McGregor’s, saying, “It's like the old Conor McGregor thing—when you wake up with silk sheets, and then your career comes.”

How can Samson Dauda be compared with Conor McGregor?

In the early stages of his career, Conor McGregor dreamed of everything: becoming a dual-weight champion in the UFC, achieving financial stability, becoming the face of the promotion, and making a name for himself in boxing as well, and he certainly did all of that.

Just like McGregor, who was a plumber before his MMA success, Dauda came from a humble background; the former Mr. Olympia also started modestly. After his parents moved from Lagos to the United Kingdom, he began his athletic journey as a rugby player.

Even then, he was an absolute unit, so much so that his teammates urged him to take up bodybuilding. Before committing full-time to bodybuilding, Dauda worked in construction and as a care-home maintenance worker.

He fully committed to bodybuilding back in 2020, and since then, he has been rising. With a networth of $1 million, Dauda is looking for a better future, but is he done? When the Davies asked, what’s next? The former Mr Olympia revealed, “So you never get complacent, and you never get comfortable.”

He further added, “Maybe other people do—I just never get comfortable, because it’s like, look, I came from a very, very… let’s just say, not a very good beginning. You know, I came from that point of, I was never meant to be here and have this.”

With 2026 coming, Dauda is looking to reclaim his throne, which he lost to Derek Lunsford, but will he be able to? Time will tell.

Written by

Suryakant Das