Bodybuilder Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea has a new challenge on his hands. In a YouTube video from May 14, 2026, Kamal Elgargni accused him of not paying for his training services and revealed they are no longer working together.
Jacked has become one of the biggest stars in the Men’s Open class. In 2025, he moved up on the Olympia stage, finishing third against Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. ‘The Mona Lisa of Bodybuilding’ made a quick turnaround and dominated the Romania Pro.
With a historic $750,000 winner’s purse up for grabs, Jacked brought his all-time best to the 2026 Arnold Classic. He overwhelmed Choopan and Nick Walker en route to gold. To solidify his standing in the league, Jacked won another $250,000 at the Arnold Classic UK.
Elgargni helped Jacked with his training throughout these preps, with many pointing out his positive impact. However, it appears Jacked will have to navigate his next prep without the former 212 Olympia champ in his corner.
Kamal Elgargni Says He Won’t Train Andrew Jacked Again After Payment Dispute
In the video, Elgargni explained that he wasn’t paid for helping Jacked with multiple preps.
“There was a misunderstanding, well, to be honest, I didn’t get paid for what I’ve done for him, so simple.”
Initially, they didn’t iron out financial terms, but Jacked eventually gave Elgargni $3,000 and a Rolex watch as compensation.
“I gave it to my wife. I didn’t care and don’t need it. She said what is this, I said Andrew gave it to me, she said that’s it? I said how much? He gave me $3,000,” shared Elgargni. “This is not right.”
“My wife called me and said have you ordered anything? I said, what? She said there was a box that arrived for you. I said what kind of box?” he said. “She found a Rolex watch, alright? I don’t know where it was bought from. He put a card with it. I didn’t even check it.”
“I wasn’t happy with it as well. I don’t need a Rolex.”
Aiming to resolve the dispute, Jacked offered Elgargni $5,000 per prep.
“We finished the show. He sent me a message. It said, now we are going to talk about whatever the next prep, Olympia, business is business blah, blah, blah. I’m going to give you $5,000 for a prep. It doesn’t matter if it’s three weeks, five weeks, seven weeks, only $5,000.”
“I looked at him and I said that to Chris, is this guy joking or what?”
When they met for another discussion, Elgargni shared that he wanted 5% of Jacked’s earnings, which would amount to around $50,000. However, Jacked wasn’t interested in the proposition.
“He called me and said how much do you want? I said, well, I’m not going to be greedy. I’m not going to be whatever; I want 5% of your prize winnings, which is around $50,000.”
“No, no, no. I don’t give this. I don’t give that. This is whatever. I said okay, calm down. If you don’t want it, I don’t need no money. I don’t want any money thank you very much. We ended that.”
According to Elgargni, even if Jacked accepted his terms, he won’t train him in the future.
“It’s going to be very hard. It’s going to take me, to be honest… I’ll say no because I don’t feel it here in my heart anymore. I’m sorry. I don’t feel it,” he shared. “I’m not going to work with him anymore.”
Jacked continues to face adversity in 2026. His home gym in Dubai, Binous, was recently burned to the ground. A suspected electrical failure was the culprit. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how the loss of his gym and trainer affects his 2026 Mr. Olympia preparations. In the meantime, fans look forward to seeing him guest pose at the Pittsburgh Pro, taking place May 16-17, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
