Reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford is speaking out about his next bodybuilding contest. On Dec. 1, 2025, he confirmed he will not defend his title at the 2026 Arnold Classic and will focus only on next year’s Mr. Olympia.
Lunsford clawed his way back up the Men’s Open ladder after a disappointing 2024 season. He fell to third place at the Mr. Olympia contest behind Samson Dauda and Hadi Choopan. Before their rematch in 2025, Lunsford defeated “The Nigerian Lion” at the Arnold Classic. Then, narrowly bested Nick Walker at the Pittsburgh Pro.
To achieve the sport’s first-ever ‘Triple Crown,’ Lunsford managed to take out Choopan and Andrew Jacked at the 2025 Mr. Olympia. Not only did he establish himself as a two-time champ, but he became only the second bodybuilder aside from Jay Cutler to reclaim the title after losing it. While there were rumors that he’d jump into the Arnold Classic, it looks like he’s taking a step back before heading to Vegas next Sept.
Derek Lunsford Not Competing at Arnold Classic, Sets Sights on 2026 Mr. Olympia
In the video, Lunsford revealed that he’ll sit out of the Arnold Classic and said his next contest will be the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
“I want to focus on my family because my daughter is going to be born in February right before the Arnold. I felt like this was God telling me that I needed to take a step away from the stage this year and just focus on family, business, and then coming back to defend the Olympia title next year.”
“Yeah, it looks like I’ll probably just do the Olympia in 2026.”
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He also addressed negativity in the sport and responded to fans who criticized the Olympia results.
“People say negative things or positive things, can definitely have an effect on a person when it’s just repetitive, over, over, and over, and that’s all you see. Not just talking about the Pittsburgh Pro, even the Olympia, let’s look at the Olympia too. This is the first year in history where I heard two people got robbed at the Olympia. How can two people get robbed, Ron? Tell me that.”
“It’s really unfortunate that we have these whether they are past Olympians and bodybuilders or whether they are these podcasters… I don’t even want to say they report on bodybuilding. It’s not even reporting on bodybuilding; it’s more just creating entertainment from the bodybuilders. I just wish there was a lot more uplifting,” he said.
Although Lunsford is now out of the Arnold Classic, Andrew Jacked will be there. His coach, Chris Aceto, confirmed his entry. Public confidence in Jacked has soared since his bronze finish at Olympia. Jay Cutler believes Jacked will win the 2026 Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia.
The Open winner of the Arnold Classic will earn a massive $750,000 prize purse, the highest in bodybuilding history. The contest takes place in Columbus, Ohio, from March 5-8.
Watch the full video from the Ron Harris Muscle YouTube channel below:
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