The Arnold Classic
The professional bodybuilding contest that has been staged in Columbus, Ohio every March since 1989, plus the regional shows that carry its name abroad. Every champion, every edition, every full result.
The Arnold Classic is the biggest professional bodybuilding contest of the year outside the Mr. Olympia. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Columbus show has run every March since 1989 under the IFBB banner, and its Open champion qualifies for that season's Olympia.
Six more shows have carried the Arnold name abroad. They are separate contests with their own fields, so their champions are listed as their own editions below rather than folded in with Columbus. Four of them are no longer staged.
The most recent Arnold Classic
Arnold Classic 2026: how every division finished
The podium from every final in Columbus, with the complete scorecards one click away. Chinedu Obiekea (Andrew Jacked) holds the Arnold Classic title, won in 2026.
The record
Every Arnold Classic edition and its champions
One row per show. Each gives the years it has run, how many editions that is, who won the most recent one, and which man has won it more often than anyone else. Follow an edition to see every year it was staged with the full placings.
| Edition | Host city | Years | Shows | Most recent Open champion | Most decorated champion | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Classic USA | Columbus, USA | 1989 to 2026 | 38 | Chinedu Obiekea (Andrew Jacked) | Dexter Jackson | 5 |
| Arnold Classic South America | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 2013 to 2026 | 10 | Leandro Sencini Peres | Rafael Brandao | 2 |
| Arnold Classic UK | Birmingham, UK | 2021 to 2026 | 3 | Chinedu Obiekea (Andrew Jacked) | Chinedu Obiekea (Andrew Jacked) | 2 |
| Arnold Classic Europe, discontinued | Madrid, Spain | 2011 to 2017 | 7 | Mamdouh Elssbiay | Dexter Jackson | 2 |
| Arnold Classic Australia, discontinued | Melbourne, Australia | 2015 to 2019 | 5 | William Bonac | No repeat winner | 1 |
| Arnold Classic Africa, discontinued | Pretoria, South Africa | 2016 to 2017 | 2 | Johnnie O. Jackson | No repeat winner | 1 |
| Arnold Classic Asia, discontinued | Hong Kong, China | 2016 | 1 | Justin Compton | - | - |
Champions are the Open winner of each show, read from the placings on file. Counted across 66 shows, 1989 to 2026. Where a show's placings do not name a winner the champion cells say so rather than guessing one.
Arnold and Olympia
Champions of both the Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia
Winning Columbus in March and winning Las Vegas in the autumn ask for different things, and few men have managed both. These are every Open champion on record who has, ordered by the year they first took the Arnold.
| Athlete | Arnold Classic titles | Mr. Olympia titles | First Arnold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie Coleman | 1 | 8 | 2001 |
| Jay Cutler | 3 | 4 | 2002 |
| Dexter Jackson | 5 | 1 | 2005 |
| Brandon Curry | 2 | 1 | 2019 |
| Samson Dauda | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hadi Choopan | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Derek Lunsford | 1 | 2 | 2025 |
Open division on both sides, first place on both sides. Counted over the Columbus editions only, so winning one of the regional Arnold shows does not put a name in this table.
Go deeper
More Arnold Classic history
The pages that own the rest of the story. Each of these keeps its own intent, so nothing on this hub restates them: the rivalries the Arnold stage produced, the all-time lists these champions sit in, and how the model rates the field.
Latest Arnold Classic Coverage
- Joseph Baena Wins INBA Iron Gladiator Classic One Week After Natural Bodybuilding Debut
- 2027 Arnold Classic UK To Return March 19‑21 at the NEC in Birmingham
- 2026 Arnold Classic UK Results for All Divisions (Live Updates)
- 2026 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique Results — Brandon Hendrickson Wins 2nd Title
- Bodybuilding Legend Dexter Jackson Honored With 2026 Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2026 Arnold Classic Results For All Divisions