The depth of the Men’s Open class has the bodybuilding world talking. In a recent YouTube video on Oct. 28, 2025, judge Terrick El Guindy revealed that Derek Lunsford will compete at the 2026 Arnold Classic. He also gave Olympia-winning advice to Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Martin Fitzwater.
The 2025 Mr. Olympia completely reshaped the top of the Men’s Open. Dauda entered the event as the reigning champ, but his plan to bring next-level conditioning backfired. Instead, Lunsford clinched gold against Hadi Choopan in a close battle, with only two points separating the pair on the scorecards.
Meanwhile, Andrew Jacked was able to push Dauda off the podium with an all-time best third-place finish. Fitzwater also had another breakout performance and took fifth place. He leveraged that momentum at the 2025 Prague Pro, where he defeated an improved Dauda. With attention turning to the next Arnold Classic, El Guindy assessed what lies ahead for these top contenders.
Terrick El Guindy Says Derek Lunsford Will Compete at 2026 Arnold Classic, Offers Advice to Fitzwater and Dauda
In the video, El Guindy announced that Lunsford will compete at the 2026 Arnold Classic. He believes Fitzwater and Jacked should jump in, as it’s a chance to assert themselves as Olympia title contenders.
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“Derek Lunsford has announced, hey I’m doing the Arnold Classic. I think Martin should jump in and I think Andrew Jacked should jump in.
They are very good competitors. If they beat Derek Lunsford, they’ll make a name for themselves and they’ll be projected as favorites to win the Mr. Olympia.”
Looking ahead, El Guindy argued Fitzwater hasn’t reached the level of Lunsford or Choopan. Should he beat either of those threats, he would label him an Olympia favorite.
“If you look at Martin’s positioning, he has to go after Derek Lunsford or Hadi Choopan during the season in order to set himself up as one of the Olympia contenders. Yes, he still needs to do that in order to make that move. I’m not prepared to say that he has fully joined the party of Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, and Samson Dauda.”
“If he beats Hadi or Derek in any show, Arnold Classic, Pittsburgh, New York Pro, then I’ll be the first one to say he is ready to win the 2026 Mr. Olympia. This was his best look. He was formidable, he was conditioned, he had the mass, he posed with a lot of confidence, and Martin believes he’s the best bodybuilder in the world.”
He also adds that Jacked is in the mix, but would like to see him pull off a win over Lunsford or Choopan.
“Andrew Jacked has done that. He’s beaten Samson Dauda at the Olympia. I would also like to have him beating one more guy, Hadi Choopan or Derek Lunsford, for him to join the party and then we have a five-headed monster going into the Olympia.”
As for Dauda, El Guindy advised him to take a rest and target one specific show. He believes this route would ensure Dauda regains some much-needed steam ahead of his Olympia return.
“Samson Dauda, I did not like his look at the Olympia. He was undersized. Within a couple weeks, he goes to Prague, and he looks a lot better. There’s that fullness on the chest and the legs.”
“I don’t know where Samson is going to go. He is as dangerous as it gets. Anybody undervaluing Samson Dauda right now is making a horrible mistake,” he said. “We don’t know if he’s going to continue to do shows, but my recommendation is maybe rest a little bit, pick a specific show, go in there, knock it out of the ballpark, and then set yourself as one of the favorites for the Mr. Olympia.”
While Lunsford hasn’t publicly announced he’s doing the Arnold Classic, some contenders have teased their entries. Fitzwater expressed interest in competing in Ohio, and coach Chris Aceto shared that Andrew Jacked will make an appearance as well.
There are unprecedented stakes on the line at the 2026 Arnold Classic. Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that the Men’s Open winner will take home a historic $750,000 cash prize.
Watch the full video from the OlympiaTV YouTube channel below:
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