The 2025 Arnold Classic Men’s Open headliners took to the stage on Friday, starting at 7:00 p.m. EST for prejudging. Derek Lunsford, Andrew Jacked, and Samson Dauda are fighting for first place on Day 1 following a handful of tense callouts from head judge Steve Weinberger.
Fans have been waiting anxiously for mass monsters from the Open class to collide. Reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda took a risk competing in Ohio because if he loses, he’ll surrender considerable momentum heading into his title defense this October. Derek Lunsford, who dropped the Sandow trophy to Dauda, was out for revenge.
Hadi Choopan won this contest against Dauda in 2023 but decided not to defend his title. In the end, the final callout featured Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Derek Lunsford, who all brought possibly their best looks to date.
Andrew Jacked’s size was a showstopper, and he made a solid bid for center stage. All men took part in a heated battle, with head judge Steve Weinberger putting them through the rounds.
Dauda and Lunsford stood in the middle during the first callout, leading the showdown that fans were eager to see. Andrew Jacked and Brandon Curry also delivered strong performances, making a push up the scorecard. In the third callout, Dauda and Lunsford remained at the center while Jacked and Curry were moved around, possibly to see who had the edge for third place.
A fifth callout featured Bonac and Clarida in the middle, likely competing for a top-five finish. Judges then brought back Dauda, Lunsford, and Jacked for the final comparison of the round.
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With prejudging wrapped up, the stage was set for an exciting final on Saturday night. Check out the breakdown of prejudging below.
Check the callout reports below:
2025 Arnold Classic Open Bodybuilding Prejudging:
First Callout
- Derek Lunsford
- Akim Williams
- Brandon Curry
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
- William Bonac
Second Callout
- Justin Rodriguez
- James Hollingshead
- Patrick Moore
- Shaun Clarida
- Carlos Thomas Jr.
- Husameddin Elisawi
Third Callout
- Derek Lunsford
- Brandon Curry
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
Fourth Callout
- Akim Williams
- Shaun Clarida
- William Bonac
- James Hollingshead
Final Callout
- Derek Lunsford
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
2025 Arnold Classic Open Bodybuilding Highlights:
2025 Arnold Classic Schedule
Friday, February 28, 2025
Prejudging: (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm EST)
Finals: (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST)
Saturday, Mar 1, 2025
Prejudging: (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
Finals: (7:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST)
Catch comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analyses, and complete Arnold Classic results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
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