When the news hit that Hadi Choopan got his visa and would compete at the 2026 Arnold Classic, it sent shockwaves throughout the sport of bodybuilding. The former Mr. O had been in hot water for the last couple of weeks due to turmoil in Iran and some of his contemporaries pressuring him to make political statements. Fellow Iranian bodybuilder King Kamali remains highly critical of Choopan, but it’s one thing to be vocal in the United States and it’s quite another to do so from Iran. I’m not siding with Kamali or Choopan, I’m just pointing out a glaring difference.
Nonetheless, bodybuilding has never really been a sport that gets into politics. Iran and the United States have not been on the same page since the Western-backed Shah was toppled in 1979. The Islamic Republic is ruled by a theocratic authoritarian regime with many restrictions on speech and a pretty lousy human rights record. We know this. There’s also no free press and protests are usually crushed. Anything that’s even remotely Pro West gets scrutinized. Interestingly, bodybuilding is not seen as a problem and Iranian bodybuilders compete for their country. Some believe that Hadi should use his popularity to fight the regime. I believe Hadi simply wants to compete and do the business of bodybuilding. What that says about him as a person isn’t really my call. To each their own.
As a result of the backlash, some fans have taken to tearing down Hadi’s posters at gyms and supplement shops throughout Iran. Others have taken to social trying to pressure the organizers of the Arnold Classic to stop The Persian Wolf from competing. I can assure you that while Arnold – the person – cares about politics, he wants Choopan in his lineup. He’s probably more concerned with his bottom line that doing right by the Iranian people. At the end of the day, the ASC is an invitational. They want Hadi, Sam Sulek, and any other big name they can bring in. The more stars they have on their stage, the more they can sell tickets to the contest and the expos for.
Plus, the fans want to see Choopan back on stage. Demand has always been through the roof for Hadi because he’s a throwback to the 90’s. It’s like he’s another Dorian Yates, only this ain’t the 90’s, it’s the 2020’s. Currently, you can’t be a hermit and survive, but for some reason it works for The Persian Wolf. It didn’t work for Big Ramy, but it works for Choopan. The fans want to see him and they want to see him win. A great many folks never accepted the fact that Derek Lunsford edged out The Persian Wolf and won the Sandow. They want to see a rematch. They want to see Hadi beat Samson, beat Martin, beat Nick, beat everyone.
Hadi’s fans are nuts! I say that with great respect. I still remember being at the 2020 Olympia where Hadi won the People’s Champion award but fell short of winning the O that year. Nonetheless, his fans were rabid. They were all over social media and even took to trolling the hell out of all the guys who placed better. Interestingly, many of those same hardcore fans have turned on Choopan. Maybe other competitors would be devastated but Hadi has the tunnel vision to go all the way. He’s able to tune all that noise out.
I don’t mean to relegate fighting for freedom as noise, but Hadi isn’t a politician – he’s a bodybuilder. And he’s one of the best. The last thing I ever want to do is speculate about what people are thinking, but if I had to guess, I’m sure Hadi cares about the political situation but sees his role as being on stage and battling for top honors. I feel like certain fans and even top bodybuilders like King Kamali want Hadi to be someone he’s not. At this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that Choopan isn’t going to fit that mold. Love him or hate, that as much, I don’t think The Persian Wolf cares about.
What is very noteworthy in terms of bodybuilding is how freaky Hadi looks RIGHT NOW. It makes me think that the whole while people were tearing his posters down and talking down to him, he was eating, lifting, and posing. Hadi didn’t get dirty in the drama. He didn’t respond to the critics. He did offer a response – of sorts – but honestly it didn’t seem to make any sense. Perhaps, that was the point. Some people even believe that Hadi’s response could fall into the category of rage bait. It was very ambiguous and sometimes even hard to decipher. Perhaps it made more sense in Farsi – or maybe – it was all over the place in that language as well. If that was Hadi’s goal, then perhaps he hit a home run. Ultimately, what matters most in terms of the upcoming Arnold Classic is how impressive Hadi looks.
Whereas some guys are behind and other guys seem on track, Hadi looks freakier than ever. And while he’s been unsuccessful in winning back the Sandow, Hadi has had some very good years in Columbus. Plus, the ASC is considered far less political than the Olympia, the NY Pro, and other big IFBB Pro League shows. Whether there’s any truth to that or not, the Arnold is the second most prestigious contest in pro bodybuilding and former Mr. O’s have done very well on its stage. If Hadi won the Arnold, he would position himself as being a top contender for the 2026 Olympia. Plus, he’d be able to do that without having to face Samson or Derek. Those odds seem very favorable. And now that Hadi is competing, it’s created tremendous panic among the other competitors. Hadi being in the lineup just made this battle into World War III. Overhyped guys like Nick Walker will now have their work cut out for them and up-and-comers who maybe thought they might upset the apple cart now must feel like they’ve had the wind taken out of their sails.
Not only can Hadi win in less than five weeks, but it’s safe to say he’s automatically become the favorite. And just one look at how advanced he is in his prep makes you wonder if he knew he’d be competing all along. The gauntlet has been dropped, and The Persian Wolf is coming for the big win. The only question is, who will be standing next to him? I’m shocked by how impressive he looks. He’s going to be extremely hard to beat and he’s going to hit the stage with tremendous confidence.
Do you think Hadi will win again in Columbus, OH? As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. As always, I hope you will copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s guaranteed to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
