Highlights from the 2026 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Prejudging.
The headliner of the 2026 Arnold Classic took the stage for the first time on Friday night. The loaded Men’s Open division went through prejudging with many of the top competitors in the world competing for the top spot in the prestigious event.
[FULL COVERAGE: Complete 2026 Arnold Classic Results]
This year’s lineup is without reigning Arnold and Olympia champ Derek Lunsford, but it is still loaded with some of the top talent in the world. This includes the competitors who finished second and third during the Olympia. Hadi Choopan, former Arnold and Olympia champ, has multiple runner-up finishes on the biggest stage and wants to prove that he is the name to beat.
Andrew Jacked has been climbing up the Men’s Open division and came close to the top in October. He was part of the first callout, along with Choopan. Nick Walker, another former Arnold champion, was also in the first callout and impressed in a big way. Walker was underwhelming at the Olympia, but brought a physique that resembled Pittsburgh in May, which is a show many believe he could have won.
Finally, Martin Fitzwater was part of the first and final callout. It is clear that the judges have set apart the top four and this makes for an exciting battle on Saturday night.
Callout Report
First Callout
- Hadi Choopan
- Nick Walker
- Andrew Jacked
- Martin Fitzwater
Second Callout
- Brandon Curry
- Rafael Brandao
- Akim Williams
- Mohamed Foda
- Hassan Mostafa
- Anthony Williams
Third Callout (Top Four)
- Hadi Choopan
- Martin Fitzwater
- Nick Walker
- Andrew Jacked
Full 2026 Arnold Classic Prejudging Reports
Previous Winners
- Rich Gaspari – 1989
- Mike Ashley – 1990
- Shawn Ray – 1991
- Vince Taylor – 1992
- Flex Wheeler – 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000
- Kevin Levrone – 1994, 1996
- Mike Francois – 1995
- Nasser El Sonbaty – 1999
- Ronnie Coleman – 2001
- Jay Cutler – 2002, 2003, 2004
- Dexter Jackson – 2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015
- Victor Martinez – 2007
- Kai Greene – 2009, 2010, 2016
- Branch Warren – 2011, 2012
- Dennis Wolf – 2014
- Cedric McMillan – 2017
- William Bonac – 2018, 2020
- Brandon Curry – 2019, 2022
- Nick Walker – 2021
- Samson Dauda – 2023
- Hadi Choopan – 2024
- Derek Lunsford – 2025
2026 Arnold Classic Full Coverage
Generation Iron Fitness Network will provide coverage of the full Arnold Classic event including prejudging reports, analysis, and results updates. Stay tuned to Generation Iron to find the full 2026 Arnold Classic results, visit our official 2026 Arnold Clasic coverage hub right here!
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