The future of the Men’s Open division has bodybuilding veterans talking. On February 13, 2025, Dennis James offered stage advice to Andrew Jacked for the 2025 Arnold Classic. He also explained why Keone Pearson could win the Mr. Olympia title right now without adding extra weight.
The 2025 Arnold Classic is rapidly approaching and Andrew Jacked is hoping to build off his impressive fifth-place performance at the last Mr. Olympia. Jacked has the structure and sheer mass to give the lineup fits on stage, leading to legitimate questions about whether he could pull off the victory.
Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Brandon Curry will all vie for supremacy when the event returns to Columbus, Ohio. And while this contest is getting most of the attention, that hasn’t stopped voices of the sport from revealing who could shock the world at the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
Recently, former eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman indicated that reigning two-time 212 Olympia Keone Pearson could win the Sandow trophy in two or three years. ‘The King’ doesn’t offer his blessing very often, so Dennis James opened up on what that could mean for the Men’s Open moving forward.
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Dennis James Says Keone Pearson Can Win Mr. Olympia, Urges Andrew Jacked to Be More Aggressive on Stage
In a recent YouTube video, Dennis James explained why Andrew Jacked needs to be more aggressive on stage to find success.
“I think one thing with Andrew is if he would be a little more emotionally involved. Show me that you want this. He always to me and this is his laidback attitude I guess, he always looks like whatever it is it is, it is what it is,” said Dennis James.
“If he would be more aggressive, I think he would stand out even more,” he adds.
Chris Cormier believes with time, Jacked could become less laidback on stage.
“That could come Dennis, in time, because I understood this later on but at first I was easing in and out of poses a lot of years,” said Cormier.
James shared that Derek Lunsford already laid out the blueprint for Pearson, who has teased that he’ll eventually move up to the Men’s Open.
Did you hear Ronnie Coleman said about Keone? That he will win the Open? Yeah. Let’s talk about him for a second. Can he win the Open? I think if Derek can, why shouldn’t Keone be able to do it?” asks James.
“If Hadi could and Derek, there’s no reason why,” shared Sarcev.
While Cormier expressed concern about how the switch could affect Pearson’s midsection, James emphasized that the 212 Olympia doesn’t need extra weight and could compete at the prestigious contest ‘right now.’
“What do you think that would do to his midsection? The extra weight?” asks Cormier.
“I don’t even think he has to add extra weight. I think he would be good enough to compete right now,” Dennis James shared. “If we look at the scale for him, yeah he looks like he’s too small. The weight says he’s too small but his body says a different story.”
As for how Pearson would fare against Lunsford, Milos Sarcev and Cormier agree it would be close given each of their posing strengths.
“Front double, Keone,” said Sarcev. “Lat spread, Keone. Okay, side chest, damn, super close.”
“I got Derek in side chest,” Cormier adds.
“Side triceps could go to Derek as well,” explains Sarcev. “Back double biceps, as good as Keone is, he loses back double biceps to Derek for sure. Lat spread, a toss-up.”
Although fans would love to witness Pearson move to the Open division, he made it clear that his focus is on the 212 category. He intends to elevate 212 to new heights during his reign, adding that he hopes to not only increase the prize money but have it included in shows like the Arnold Classic.
Like Ronnie Coleman, Dennis James believes Pearson has a future in the Men’s Open. For now, Pearson will continue to build on his legacy in 212, but it’s clear there’s considerable demand to see him move up in time.
RELATED: Keone Pearson Says Lee Priest ‘Wouldn’t Stand a Chance’ Against Him If They Competed Today
Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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