Discussions around who will win the 2026 Arnold Classic are heating up. On Jan. 19, 2026, coach Chris Aceto opened up about Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea‘s driven mindset heading into the event.
Jacked popped up on everyone’s radar the moment he turned IFBB Pro at the 2022 Arnold Amateur. Brick by brick, he’s built his physique, which proved challenging due to his stature. The biggest triumph of Jacked’s career came in 2025. At the Mr. Olympia, he shocked the world en route to third place.
The 2026 Arnold Classic will feature returning champion Hadi Choopan. Other than Derek Lunsford, Choopan is the only competitor to get past Jacked at the biggest event of the year. Now closer to the Sandow trophy than ever before, Jacked plans to pick up his first major bodybuilding title when he heads to Columbus, Ohio.
“The Persian Wolf” won’t be his only concern. Martin Fitzwater, who took fifth place at the Mr. Olympia, has enormous momentum. He recently defeated former Olympia winner Samson Dauda at the Prague Pro. However, Jacked hasn’t sat idle; the Nigerian native also claimed victory at the Romania Muscle Fest Pro. He doesn’t need to worry about an Olympia qualification, paving the way for a big performance.
Chris Aceto Talks Andrew Jacked’s ‘All-In’ Mindset for 2026 Arnold Classic
During the Rx Muscle – Truth in Bodybuilding interview, Aceto said Jacked was looking freaky and motivated with a ‘winner’s mindset.’
“Yeah, [training with Kamal Elgargni] through the Arnold. So that will be interesting to see how that all plays out,” said Aceto. “He’s looking freaky right now. He has a winner’s mindset.”
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He emphasized that Jacked is focused on bringing the best version of himself to the Arnold Classic:
“He’s focused, which means for him, he’s all-in on him. I’d be surprised if he scrolled through Instagram in the last week to see what someone else looks like.”
Confidence in Jacked soared following the 2025 Mr. Olympia. According to judge Terrick El Guindy, five pounds of added muscle and better condition is all Jacked needs to dominate. He added that his back and side poses need work to make another jump up the rankings.
“The guy looks like a freakin stature. He has everything. The round muscle bellies, his abs are insane. Some poses you go, he is Mr. Olympia,” said El Guindy. “What poses people said he needs to get better? The back poses. In Romania, he showed his back double biceps is vastly improved.”
Jacked is on track to bring his best to the Arnold Classic. Training alongside Kamal Elgargni, he aims to showcase unprecedented detail and size. The 2026 Arnold Classic is set for March 5-8 in Columbus, Ohio.
Watch the full video from the Rx Muscle – Truth in Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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