All eyes are on Derek Lunsford after he announced his surprise entry for the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro. On March 28, 2025, Jay Cutler and Milos Sarcev discussed Lunsford’s risky move and compared the prestige of winning an Arnold Classic versus Mr. Olympia show.
The nearing Pittsburgh Pro, set for May 10-11, will give bodybuilding fans a clear picture of who will head into Olympia with momentum. The lineup is stacked with threats, including Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov, Nick Walker, Michal Krizo, and Martin Fitzwater.
Not only will they battle for an Olympia qualification, but they’ll go toe-to-toe for a $100,000 prize. Walker might be under the most pressure to perform after pulling out of the last two Mr. Olympia contests. However, Cutler and Sarcev also believe entering the show was a huge risk for Lunsford.
Jay Cutler, Milos Sarcev Discuss 2025 Pittsburgh Pro Favorites & Compare Mr. Olympia vs Arnold Classic Prestige
In a recent YouTube video, Milos Sarcev emphasized that Lunsford is taking a massive risk competing in Pittsburgh. He believes Martin Fitzwater is incredibly dangerous and that Lunsford will have to deal with a Nick Walker ‘fueled to the max’ thanks to his doubters.
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“For Derek, of course, he would like to distance himself and dominate and leave no question marks, right? I take my hat off to him. It’s a huge risk.
Martin is as dangerous as they come, and Nick is probably fueled to the max because of all the bad talk that he had after that New York that he narrowly won against Martin, and that was Martin who was an up-and-comer, not fourth-place finisher at the Olympia.”
Sarcev added that Lunsford might be the widest Open Pro in the IFBB Pro League for his height.
“Derek is much bigger than I actually ever even imagined. So, when you analyze him pound-for-pound and structure, he’s big and wide. He’s probably the widest guy proportionally for his height.”
When it comes to prestige, Sarcev stands by the Mr. Olympia contest. He stated that it’s the only event that decides the number one bodybuilder in the world.
“Mr. Olympia is considered the best bodybuilder in the world. You can have as many Arnold Classic titles, it’s respectful, it’s a prestigious contest, but to call yourself the best bodybuilder in the world, you have to be Mr. Olympia. So that prestige is there,” explains Sarcev.
“In MMA, there’s one UFC. Everything else, yeah you can be champion in Bellator or some other organization, but it doesn’t compare. So, Mr. Olympia is by far the greatest contest that gives you the most accomplishment,” he adds.
Cutler credited the Arnold Classic for better organization and expo, suggesting that it could be more fan-friendly.
“I was the only one to win it three times in a row, and I did that because I enjoyed the show so much, because it was invitational,” Cutler shared. “It’s organized because it’s smaller. There was only 12 guys. It was a lot easier. I felt like them picking you up, the baskets in your room, the whole experience was great, being around Schwarzenegger was great.”
“Honestly, it’s the best expo. It’s better than the Olympia expo,” says Cutler.
Lastly, Cutler gave his thoughts on the possibility of the Mr. Olympia moving to Madison Square Garden in the future.
“I just saw Dan got on and talked about going to a place like Madison Square Garden or somewhere that can hold 20,000 people. The problem is I don’t know if you’d feel those seats,” shares Cutler.
While the Olympia contest had Men’s Open competitors perform earlier in the night in 2024, he suspects that won’t be the case in 2025.
“As of last year, you don’t know how many people reached out to me, ‘Can you get me tickets?’ Because there wasn’t enough for the Men’s Open.
I’ve had my complaints about the running order of the contests and I’m still going to stay to that. Obviously, they changed it last year, but I guarantee they go back to it last year because there were some complaints about the place emptying out as soon as the men went on.”
Derek Lunsford has touched on the significance of winning the Pittsburgh Pro. He labeled it a ‘legacy show,’ and believes if he emerges victorious, it will be a historical moment in the IFBB Pro League, considering he’d be the first talent in the Open class to raise gold at the event.
The 2025 Pittsburgh Pro is packed with elite talent, setting the table for an even crazier Olympia contest in October. Cutler and Sarcev believe Lunsford’s taking a risky move, but it could result in a nice cash prize as well as hype heading into the biggest show of the year.
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Watch the full video from the CutlerCast YouTube channel below:
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