The 2025 Pittsburgh Pro Men’s Open lineup just got even crazier. On March 24, 2025, Derek Lunsford announced his plan to enter and win in Pittsburgh before aiming to reclaim his Mr. Olympia title in October.
The Pittsburgh Pro has long held major significance for Lunsford’s career. Before he made his way to the Open as the reigning 212 Olympia champion, he guest posed in Pittsburgh, setting the table for a historic run in bodybuilding’s blockbuster division. That same year, he secured second place against Hadi Choopan at the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
One year later, Lunsford emerged victorious, becoming the 18th athlete to hoist the Sandow trophy above his head. Although he slipped to third place at Mr. Olympia in 2024, Lunsford bounced back successfully in Columbus, Ohio. He exacted revenge against Samson Dauda to win his Arnold Classic debut. To solidify his legacy, Lunsford wants to follow that up by winning in Pittsburgh before reclaiming gold at Mr. Olympia.
Derek Lunsford Lays Out Plan to Win 2025 Pittsburgh Pro and Mr. Olympia After His Arnold Classic Victory
In a recent YouTube video, Lunsford touched on his success and the importance that the Pittsburgh Pro had on his career.
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“I knew that this year the Pittsburgh Pro was going to have its first Open Bodybuilding show and expo. So, they’re going to go way bigger this year,” he shared. “I already had it in my head that the last couple of years doing the Pittsburgh Pro guest posing really catapulted my career, not so much competitively, but more that I was able to showcase an off-season bigger, fuller look and to showcase that to the world.”
Lunsford explained that the Pittsburgh Pro is a ‘legacy show’ that would add to his accomplishments in the sport.
“I’ve only done the Mr. Olympia for the last several years so I wanted to compete more,” he said. “The Pittsburgh Pro is going to be what I would call a legacy show. Meaning, if you have that Pittsburgh Pro title, that is a real notch in your belt. That is a real title that you can carry with pride.”
After winning the 2025 Arnold Classic, Lunsford plans to also secure titles at the Pittsburgh Pro and Mr. Olympia for a clean sweep.
“With that being said, the position I’m in right now, having just come off the Arnold Classic win, to do the Arnold Classic, to do the Pittsburgh Pro, and to do the Olympia all in the same year and be victorious in all three would be another monumental historical moment in bodybuilding history. For me, that excites me.”
“That’s the announcement, is that I will be doing the Pittsburgh Pro. I’m very much looking forward to standing on stage with these guys.”
Lunsford will have his hands full with the lineup in Pittsburgh. To realize success, he’ll have to defeat fourth-place Olympia finisher Martin Fitzwater, Nick Walker, Michal Krizo, and Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov. If he does, he’ll earn an impressive $100,000 on top of the $500,000 he netted in Columbus.
Lunsford is maintaining a busy schedule ahead of the Olympia. If he picks up the Pittsburgh win, he’ll have even more momentum heading into the biggest show of the year where he’ll face Samson Dauda again.
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Watch the full video from the Derek Lunsford YouTube channel below:
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