Shahriar Kamali, well known as King Kamali, is laying out how the 2026 Arnold Classic might end. He took to a YouTube video on Feb. 17 and explained why he’s backing Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea to win over Hadi Choopan.
The moment the 2025 Mr. Olympia results were announced, the Men’s Open division had a new pecking order. Jacked was the biggest surprise of the night. Despite flying under the radar, he presented his fullest, most conditioned look onstage. He earned third place behind Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, giving him a surge of momentum in the packed division.
Jacked won the Romania Pro days later, securing his qualification for the Olympia. With passage to Olympia no longer a concern, the Nigerian mass monster has dialed in his prep in hopes of securing the second most prestigious title in the sport.
King Kamali Backs Andrew Jacked at 2026 Arnold Classic, Talks Hadi Choopan and Martin Fitzwater Chances
When asked if he had to bet money on a potential winner, Kamali reluctantly chose Jacked. He pointed out that Choopan’s performance could suffer from the ‘collateral damage’ going on in Iran.
“Yeah, I’m going to lean and go with Chris right here [Andrew Jacked]. If, but I will say if, Hadi wasn’t having all these political issues and all that stuff, and it was just him going into the show, I would have Hadi ahead of Andrew a little bit… but because of all the collateral damage and all that stuff, I’m going to have to say Andrew is going to have it.”
As for Martin Fitzwater’s potential, Kamali argued that his placement will depend on how Brandon Curry shows up:
“It depends on Brandon. I still like Brandon, man,” said Kamali. “Brandon is getting old, Brandon this, but I still think Brandon can… I mean, it depends on which Martin shows up.”
“I watched some of those videos, you know, one scoop of peanut butter with three drops of oil, I’m like what the fuck happened? What happened to grilled chicken and fuckin rice? Were we doing something wrong back then? I don’t know, man,” he said.
Choopan has endured a tumultuous prep en route to Columbus, Ohio. His home country of Iran is embroiled in political unrest, with peaceful protests taking over the region. Despite these tensions, Choopan, fortunately, has received his visa.
There’s no telling how these outside factors will affect Choopan’s performance. However, it’s enough for King Kamali to back Andrew Jacked leading into the 2026 Arnold Classic, set for March 5-8 in Columbus, Ohio.
Watch the full video from the Iron OGs YouTube channel below:
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