The official competitor list has been revealed for the 2025 Arnold Classic, leading a roundtable of bodybuilding veterans to offer their predictions. In a video released on December 20, 2024, Dennis James, Chris Cormier, and Milos Sarcev shared their top six Men’s Open picks a few months away from the prestigious event.
The 2025 Arnold Classic will feature a who’s who of bodybuilding talent. After claiming the 2024 Mr. Olympia title, Samson Dauda will return to Columbus, Ohio in pursuit of a second gold trophy after earning the honor back in 2023.
Derek Lunsford, who took third place at the last Olympia, will aim for redemption against Dauda and the rest of the lineup. To bring his all-time best, he has teamed up with bodybuilding legend Chris Cormier after his former coach, Hany Rambod, retired from coaching elite athletes. Aside from those two threats, fans expect dominant showings from Andrew Jacked and Brandon Curry, as well as a handful of other standout talents.
Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Chris Cormier Reveal Their Top 6 2025 Arnold Classic Open Predictions
During the YouTube video, James, Sarcev, and Cormier listed their picks ahead of the 2025 Arnold Classic.
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Dennis James
- Winner — Samson Dauda
- Second Place — Derek Lunsford
- Third Place — Andrew Jacked
- Fourth Place — Brandon Curry
- Fifth Place — Carlos Thomas Jr.
- Sixth Place — William Bonac
Chris Cormier
- Winner — Samson Dauda
- Second Place — Derek Lunsford
- Third Place — Andrew Jacked
- Fourth Place — William Bonac
- Fifth Place — Shaun Clarida
- Sixth Place — Jonathan Delarosa
Milos Sarcev
- Winner — Samson Dauda
- Second Place — Andrew Jacked
- Third Place — Derek Lunsford
- Fourth Place — Brandon Curry
- Fifth Place — Shaun Clarida
- Sixth Place — Akim Williams
According to Milos Sarcev, Andrew Jacked has the potential to win at least three poses against reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda: the front double biceps, front lat spread, and the ab and thigh shot.
“He [Andrew Jacked] just needs to bring that condition. He’s going to be mano a mano with Samson. We know he can get him in some poses, I still think Samson is superior,” explains Sarcev. “Front double, front lat spread, and ab and thigh I think goes to Andrew.”
Sarcev, who once coached Dauda, emphasized that he’s not just improving his muscle quality, but refining his posing presentation as well.
“Samson is very good in front double and front lat spread but not Andrew good. Andrew is wider,” he shares. “More real estate, more detail. But let me tell you, Samson is so impressive as he’s improving on the poses too, not just on the muscles and overall shape.”
He also isn’t discounting Derek Lunsford’s chances in his debut at the Arnold Classic.
“I think Samson gets it [back double biceps]. Samson is closing in on Derek on that pose,” he shared. “I think it’s Samson’s show for sure but Derek could be dangerous. I’ve seen that video, that’s why I asked you, he hit the ab pose in the video a little better than normal, he just didn’t sit long enough.”
These aren’t the only bodybuilding veterans to start laying out their expectations of the second-biggest event of the year. Recently, Lee Priest opened up on his dark horse ahead of the competition, suggesting that James Hollingshead has the mass and assets to possibly shock the world by securing a top-three position.
The 2025 Arnold Classic takes place from February 27 to March 2. Fitness Volt will have live coverage of the entire event, don’t miss it!
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