Three days stand between the top contenders headed to the 2026 Arnold Classic. On March 2, bodybuilders Hunter Labrada and Jordan Hutchinson shared their top Open picks set to battle onstage.
The stakes couldn’t be higher at the Arnold Classic this year. Bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the Men’s Open champ would take home a historic $750,000 winner’s purse, the highest payout in bodybuilding history.
No surprise, that enticed top-tier talent to storm the event. Hadi Choopan, a 2022 Olympia champ and three-time runner-up on the prestigious stage, wants his second Arnold Classic title after winning his first in 2024. However, he has to get through an all-time best Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea. He scored bronze on the Olympia stage and won the recent Romania Pro. This means he won’t have to worry about qualifying for the Mr. Olympia.
It’s not a two-man race. Martin Fitzwater has his eyes on the prize. He took fifth on the Olympia stage and beat Samson Dauda at the Prague Pro. Nick Walker also has ambitious plans. He dropped the ball at the Mr. Olympia, and mistimed his peak to take sixth place. It’s all-or-nothing for Walker; he has to shine to revive his stock in the Open class.
Hunter Labrada & Jordan Hutchinson Share Top Picks Ahead of 2026 Arnold Classic
Find their top picks from the video below:
Hunter Labrada
- Winner – Andrew Jacked
Jordan Hutchinson’s Top 2
- Nick Walker
- Martin Fitzwater
Labrada made it clear that if he had to bet money, he’d back Andrew Jacked to emerge victorious. As for Jordan Hutchinson, he didn’t lay out a concrete order of placements, but hopes to see both Nick Walker and Martin Fitzwater find success.
Other contenders are receiving attention ahead of the big show. Brazilian star Rafael Brandao can’t be counted out. He’s assured Jay Cutler that he’ll be more shredded than ever when he makes his way to Ohio.
Fans also refuse to dismiss Brandon Curry, and for good reason. Curry won the Mr. Olympia back in 2019, and he remains the only athlete on the roster to actually beat Choopan in a competition. Moreover, Curry has won the Arnold Classic twice during his career (2019, 2022).
Labrada isn’t the only bodybuilder confident in Jacked’s chances. Recently, Cutler emphasized that the Nigerian native had ‘all the tools’ to thrive against the best. He predicted that Jacked could win the 2026 Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia this Sept.
The table is set for an unforgettable showdown at the 2026 Arnold Classic. Don’t miss the blockbuster event, scheduled for March 5-8 in Columbus, Ohio!
RELATED: Urs Kalecinski Reveals Top 3 Men’s Open & Classic Physique Picks for the 2026 Arnold Classic
Watch the full video from the GASP: THE IRON WORLD YouTube channel below:
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