Shahriar Kamali, well known as King Kamali, has doubts about the world’s number-one Open bodybuilder. In a YouTube video from May 21, 2026, he shared that Derek Lunsford isn’t respected as Mr. Olympia and that nobody believes he’ll win again.
At the 2024 Mr. Olympia, Lunsford fell to third place and surrendered his title to Samson Dauda. This set the groundwork for Lunsford’s impressive comeback season. In 2025, he achieved his ‘Triple Crown’ goal, securing titles at the Arnold Classic, Pittsburgh Pro, and Mr. Olympia consecutively. He joined Jay Cutler as only the second Open bodybuilder to win back the crown after losing it onstage.
While Lunsford opted to take a break from contests, his new rival, Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea, carried on. The Nigerian mass monster won the 2026 Arnold Classic Ohio and UK events, solidifying his status as Lunsford’s greatest threat. With the contest approaching soon, Kamali explained why public doubt around Lunsford continues to snowball.
King Kamali Says Derek Lunsford Lacks Mr. Olympia ‘Persona,’ Expresses Doubt About Title Defense
In the Iron OG‘s podcast, Kamali pointed out that Lunsford doesn’t get respect as Mr. Olympia and has become increasingly frustrated.
“Derek does not get the respect. He just doesn’t. Nobody has him winning again. Everybody is like, oh Samson, oh, we got Andrew, this and that. I think it’s just something that’s building up inside him and he’s just getting super frustrated.”
According to Kamali, Lunsford lacks the Mr. Olympia persona that past champions had.
“I was watching him and this is my own personal point of view. I was watching him at the New York Pro, he doesn’t give the persona of a Mr. Olympia. I’ve been around the best of the best, so have you Chris. We’ve seen what Mr. Olympia is like when he walks into a room, the presence. He wants the attention and the notoriety, he’s not getting that. It’s starting to frustrate him.”
“People keep doubting and doubting him,” shared Kamali. “I think it’s that building up inside him that just exploded. There’s only so much a person can take before they explode.”
He added that Lunsford’s front relaxed pose needs refinement:
“I think people are looking at him differently now. They are looking at him as a fighter. I also think people are starting to realize that handlebars, sitting on a motorcycle front relaxed, it ain’t working no more. It’s not what they want.”
Lunsford took a page from Phil Heath’s book in the lead-up to the 2026 Mr. Olympia. He called out Jacked for not wanting to train legs during their scheduled Olympia Battle workout. Tensions flared, with Lunsford telling Jacked he’ll never win the Mr. Olympia.
Kamali believes public doubt has affected Lunsford ahead of the event. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is scheduled for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
