The 2025 Arnold Classic goes down in less than six weeks, prompting bodybuilding veterans to assess the stacked lineup. On January 23, 2025, Milos Sarcev predicted Andrew Jacked to defeat Derek Lunsford and discussed his chances of winning the contest.
After Arnold Schwarzenegger promised a massive $500,000 prize for the Men’s Open winner of the 2025 Arnold Classic, pressure for the event has built all year. Instead of sitting out to enjoy his latest triumph, reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda will be back in action in pursuit of his second Arnold Classic title.
Derek Lunsford, who lost his Olympia title last October, is after vengeance and momentum. With Chris Aceto serving as his new coach, fans believe he’s on track to come in at his all-time best. But Andrew Jacked is another talent to watch, as he continues to add size and detail to his physique.
In 2024, Jacked won his third title at the Texas Pro before making his way to Olympia. There, he pulled off fifth place despite a botched posing routine in the finals due to a misunderstanding with the music he selected. Jacked has placed as high as third at the Arnold Classic (2023) with plans of finally winning the show in a few short weeks.
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Milos Sarcev, Dennis James Discuss If Andrew Jacked Can Win 2025 Arnold Classic and New IFBB Pro Ruling
In a recent YouTube video, Dennis James suspected that Jacked could display massive improvements in Ohio similar to what Dauda accomplished at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
“What I mean is if he has anything like Samson, he could make improvements in three or four months, drastically, like Samson did. Samson improved from show to show. Maybe Andrew is capable of the same thing, and maybe we’ll see a different Andrew right now,” shares Dennis James.
Sarcev believes Jacked has better quad separation than Dauda but emphasizes that he loses from the side.
“Andrew has better separation on the quads, deeper, and he has the feathers. He just doesn’t have as much volume.
Quad can maybe pass from the front view, from the side view, this is where he loses. Side view, lower body, side view, upper body, it’s beating him by a 10-8 round,” explains Milos Sarcev.
In a direct comparison against Dauda, Sarcev argued Jacked could win the front double bicep, front lat spread, ab and thighs, and front relaxed poses.
“Anyway, I still think Andrew is a legitimate contender for Samson. He has the better structure. He’s wider. He has more detail. He can beat him in front double, in front lat spread, definitely ab and thighs and front relaxed. Even though it’s questionable, he can due to the widest shoulders and detail that he has but Samson is now becoming a master of posing and illusion. So he gets in the poses and now you make it questionable,” he shared.
He figures it will be a ‘dog fight’ on stage and believes Jacked will defeat Derek Lunsford.
“It’s going to be a dog fight. If Andrew is conditioned like 2023 Arnold Classic or in Houston, with five to six extra pounds, yeah he can be contending for the title,” shares Sarcev. “I think he’s going to be ahead of Derek. For me in general, he is the superior bodybuilder.”
Dennis James also touched on the new IFBB ruling that could revoke Pro cards if athletes are inactive. He believes it’s a simple ‘use it’ or ‘lose it’ situation.
“You have to be active. I’m not sure and I didn’t call in to ask, I’m not sure does that mean you have to register to have an active membership or if you actively have to compete. That I’m not sure. I would guess it’s just to have to renew your membership,” shared Dennis James.
“You don’t use it, lose it. I’m all for it. I wouldn’t even wait three years. You’re holding up traffic. There are a lot of Pro qualifiers where there’s only one Pro card and if you’re one of them guys that wants his Pro card and never going to compete again, you’re just fucking — we wasted a Pro that could have been on stage.”
Former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout also offered Andrew Jacked some words of wisdom before he battles Samson Dauda again. He advised Jacked to fill up properly for the event, which could give him the edge when going against ‘The Nigerian Lion.’
Given Jacked’s stature and posing abilities, he could easily find himself contending for gold in under six weeks. Don’t miss the 2025 Arnold Classic, set to take place from February 27 to March 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
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