No one has won back-to-back Men’s Open titles since Big Ramy did it in 2020 and 2021. With six weeks to go until Las Vegas, that streak of instability is the biggest factor looming over this year’s competition, because Derek Lunsford needs to break it.
He’s the reigning Mr. Olympia. And he’s up against what might be the most competitive field of the modern Open era, with an Arnold Classic champion hot on his heels, a resurgent Nick Walker who just reminded everyone what he’s capable of, and a former champion like Hadi Choopan who has come close four years in a row.
The Open final takes place Saturday 26 September at the Orleans Arena. Here’s where the division stands right now.
Derek Lunsford: The Champion With Everything to Lose
Lunsford’s 2025 was nearly perfect. He won the Arnold Classic, then the Pittsburgh Pro, and then reclaimed the Sandow in Las Vegas—the “Triple Crown” he had set as his goal. By defeating Samson Dauda in Las Vegas, he became only the second man in history, after Jay Cutler, to regain the Mr. Olympia title after losing it.
What made it even more remarkable was everything he had to overcome to achieve it. During his 2025 campaign, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle early in the year and a panic attack during the Olympia final. Even so, he won.
Since then, he has taken a well-deserved rest, publicly focusing on his chest and biceps—the two areas that critics kept pointing out. In August, he stated that he weighed close to 250 pounds and that he wouldn’t mind losing a couple more before stepping on stage.
There is a counter-argument, and it comes from serious people. Former champion Samir Bannout has warned that chasing extra size can backfire on Lunsford, and Lee Priest was openly critical of his 2025 winning package. That’s the tension in his prep: the widest back in the division doesn’t help if the waist goes with it.
Case for: Reigning champion, best conditioning of his career last year, targeted improvements, and the judges clearly like his structure. Case against: Nobody has repeated in five years, and adding mass is the exact gamble that has undone champions before.
Andrew Jacked: The Man With the Momentum
If you’re picking an upset, this is your man.
Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obiekea finished third at the 2025 Olympia. Then in March he won the 2026 Arnold Classic in Columbus, beating Nick Walker and Hadi Choopan and collecting a $750,000 first-place purse — the largest single payday in the history of the sport — plus another $10,000 for the Ed Corney Best Poser Award. He followed it with a win at the Arnold Classic UK, chasing what he’s called the “Million Dollar March.”
The Nigerian-born athlete came to bodybuilding late, after a career that included kickboxing and military service, and only turned professional in 2022. Four years later, he is the most prominent figure in the Open division.
The rivalry with Lunsford has even become personal. During training for this year’s Olympia Battle, Lunsford bluntly told him that he would never win the Olympia and that the title wasn’t going anywhere. Jacked hasn’t backed down. This exchange has been the biggest boost to interest in the Open division this season.
Case for: The best 2026 season of anyone in the division, elite posing, and clear improvement year over year. Case against: Arnold form doesn’t always transfer to September, and holding a peak from March to Vegas is its own challenge.
Nick Walker: The Comeback Nobody Expected
Walker’s 2025 was a disaster by his standards: sixth at the Olympia and a wave of comments suggesting his prime was behind him.
He responded by revolutionizing his strategy. He parted ways with his coach, Kyle Wilkes, and trained alone for the Arnold Classic, where he finished second to Jacked, won the Franco Columbu Most Muscular Athlete award, and defeated Hadi Choopan for the first time in his career.
Then, on August 1 at the Tampa Pro, he decisively won the Men’s Open—James Hollingshead finished second and Joseph Palacios third—and qualified for the Olympia weeks in advance. Observers noted a more defined waist and better core control than he had in years, precisely the criticisms the judges had been leveling at him.
Samir Bannout, Iain Valliere, and Seth Feroce singled him out as the man to beat in Tampa, and he lived up to the hype. When Samson Dauda was asked about him afterward, he wasn’t interested in dismissing him: a man who has won an Arnold and made it to the Olympia is always a threat, that was the gist of his message.
Even Lunsford took notice, responding to the Tampa result by saying he’d need to remind Walker who the champ is.
Case for: Arguably his best package since 2022, with a full seven-week runway to refine it. Case against: Tampa is not the Olympia. He’ll be compared against three men who all finished above him last year.
The Rest of the Threat List
Hadi Choopan — the 2022 champion has now finished runner-up at three consecutive Olympias, and took the People’s Champion award by fan vote in 2025. He was third at the 2026 Arnold. Nobody in the division has been consistently closer to the title without winning it again, and he has never needed anything more than the right night.
Samson Dauda — the 2024 champion fell to fourth in 2025. He is qualified, he is talking like a man planning a return to the top, and he has already proved he can beat this field.
Martin Fitzwater — fifth at the 2025 Olympia, fourth at the 2026 Arnold. Steady, improving, and the kind of athlete who quietly moves up when someone above him misses.
Brandon Curry — the 2019 champion took fifth at this year’s Arnold. Lifetime eligibility, and enough experience to capitalise if the top four beat each other up.
Beyond them, the qualified list also includes William Bonac, Michal Krizo, Andrea Presti, Tonio Burton, Shaun Clarida and others. As of early August, 22 athletes had qualified for the Men’s Open, with the qualification window closing 30 August — so that number can still move.
What the New Qualification Rules Change
This is the first Olympia run under the reinstated IFBB Pro League points system, and it matters more than it sounds.
For the Men’s Open, 212, Women’s Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Women’s Physique and Fit Model, the path is: top three from the 2025 Olympia, plus the winner of every open contest during the qualification period. Straightforward.
The divisions that changed hardest are Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini and Wellness, where athletes now need two contest wins or a top-25 points finish. That’s the reform designed to shrink fields that had ballooned toward 70 competitors.
For fans, the practical effect is a tighter, faster-moving show. For athletes in those four divisions, it has meant competing far more often across the season.
The Verdict
Here’s the truth: this is the most open Open division in recent years, and anyone claiming to have a sure winner is guessing.
Lunsford is the defending champion and the deserved favorite, but the title has changed hands more often than not over the past five years. Jacked has momentum on his side and the best 2026 record of all the entrants. Walker has the steepest improvement curve and the least pressure. Choopan needs a good night. Dauda has done it before.
Keep a close eye on Friday’s preliminary draw. In 2025, Dauda appeared to be leading after Friday’s comparisons but lost the advantage on Saturday night—proof that the Open is decided in both sessions, not just the final. Whoever is in the middle of the first round on Friday, September 25, is the man everyone else must beat.
Six weeks. One stage. No clear favorite. That’s what a good Olympia should feel like.
Quick Answers
Who is the reigning Mr. Olympia? Derek Lunsford, who reclaimed the title in 2025 after losing it to Samson Dauda in 2024.
Who won the 2026 Arnold Classic? Andrew Jacked, taking a record $750,000 first-place prize ahead of Nick Walker and Hadi Choopan.
When is the 2026 Men’s Open final? Saturday 26 September at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Open pre-judging takes place during Friday evening’s show.
When does qualification close? 30 August 2026. The Men’s Open field can still grow before then.
Has anyone repeated as Mr. Olympia recently? Not since Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay in 2020 and 2021. Every year since has produced a different champion.
Published 11 August 2026. Results and qualification details verified against IFBB Pro League and contest reporting. We’ll update this preview as the field is finalised.
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