The 2026 Arnold Classic UK shook up the top of the Classic Physique division. On March 30, Mike Sommerfeld and Wesley Vissers issued statements following their onstage battle in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Fans were unsure if Mike Sommerfeld would bounce back after the 2026 Arnold Classic Ohio. He was forced out of the competition after failing to meet the Classic Physique weight cap. Instead, he watched from the sidelines as Wesley Vissers laid claim to his second AC title.
Sommerfeld, who took a close second behind Classic Physique Olympia Ramon Queiroz in 2025, answered adversity. He presented a full, conditioned, and balanced physique, which helped him win the 2026 Arnold Classic UK. Now, both athletes are redirecting their focus to the ‘Super Bowl of Bodybuilding,’ set for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mike Sommerfeld and Wesley Vissers Share Thoughts on Their 2026 Arnold Classic UK Battle
In an Instagram post, Sommerfeld emphasized that he brought his best conditioning and symmetry to the 2026 Arnold Classic UK.
“Two favorites. One stage. Zero shortcuts. Before the Arnold Classic UK 2026, Wesley and me pushed each other in the gym — same goal, same pressure, same obsession with detail. On stage, I brought my best conditioning, my best symmetry, my best version… and it was enough to take the win.”
He gave thanks to his coach and the brotherhood he’s forged with Vissers:
“But this is what people don’t see: years of hypertrophy, failure, brutal workouts, precise execution, and a coach’s eye behind every rep. That’s what Wesley and me call passion. Respect to Wesley — a champion, on and off stage. Battle on stage. Brotherhood off stage. This is what bodybuilding needs,” shared Mike Sommerfeld.
As for Vissers, he called the match-up with Sommerfeld his dream and accepted that he wasn’t the better bodybuilder onstage.
“Exactly what we wanted. I told Mike as soon as we got backstage. This is precisely what needed to happen. The fans wanted to see it. The industry wanted to see it. Everybody online was talking about it before. We did a one and one-man callout. Precisely what we wanted, switched around. It was my dream, and Mike was the better bodybuilder; let’s just face it. I know exactly what we need to work on.”
He noted that Sommerfeld exposed some weaknesses he hopes to fix before Olympia.
“It’s kind of apples and oranges but he is like the more complete fruit, and I have some strong points, but also some weaker points that need to be worked on, especially standing next to Mike you can see, okay, now I need to work on these points to make sure for the Olympia we come and be better than we were at the Arnold UK.”
“I said, you did it, man. You really deserved it. You came back, you conquered the stage because you know, a lot of stuff happened with him over social media, of course, which I can imagine brought a lot of mental stress but he still managed and I told Neil this as well, backstage, his coach, he still managed to get below the weight cap and show up better than I think anybody expected. He was better than the Olympia. He was pretty much as good as he ever was.”
Though Vissers fell short of gold at the Arnold UK, he still remains a frontrunner for the Mr. Olympia. He has a history with Ramon Queiroz. At the 2024 Arnold Classic, Vissers managed to take out the Brazilian star with shredded conditioning.
Attention has quickly turned to the 2026 Mr. Olympia contest. Fans hope to see Sommerfeld and Vissers square off for supremacy this September when the massive show makes its return.
Watch the full video from the Beyond the Stage YouTube channel below:
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