Lee Priest is taking a close look at the current bodybuilding landscape in 2026. On March 20, he took to YouTube and called for the Classic Physique division to be moved to the amateur ranks. He also expressed doubt about Nick Walker competing at the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
The 2026 Arnold Classic completely shook up the Men’s Open class. Although Hadi Choopan entered as the favorite, he ended up in third place. Instead, the finals featured a mass monster showdown between Walker and Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea. By just five points, Jacked made history and won, securing the $750,000 winner’s purse.
Despite his silver medal finish, Walker left Columbus feeling like a winner. Chatter online has quickly turned to his next contest. However, he’s made it clear that he’s in no rush, prompting Priest to discuss what lies ahead for the Open star.
Lee Priest Calls for Classic Physique to Be Amateur Only, Reveals If Nick Walker Will Skip 2026 Mr. Olympia
In the video, Priest first called for Classic Physique and 212 to move to the amateur ranks. He believes the ‘big leagues’ should be reserved for the best of the Men’s Open division.
“I did say it’s time to get rid of Classic and 212. Let’s just go back to the one class, and the cream of the crop rise to the top,” said Priest. “I think it’s come time now to keep the Classic and 212 all down there in the amateur divisions, but when you’re going for the Pro cards coming into the big leagues, it’s just one class again.”
Priest acknowledged that Walker could have won the 2026 Arnold Classic with better midsection control.
“That was probably one of the best Nicks we’ve seen. Apart from when he relaxed his stomach onstage, but when he held it tight, it looked great, just that maybe during transitions or walking on the stage, he let it sort of go. If he controls that, he could have probably won the Arnold.”
He was critical of Walker’s decision not to compete at the Detroit Pro, which could have led to an early Olympia qualification:
“If the Detroit Pro was just that following week, it’s like, any you got your qualification, now you can take all that time off for Olympia prep. But like you said, he’s going to have to do a show somewhere,” he said. “Whether he wants to put it close to the Olympia and hopefully qualify close to the Olympia so it’s not too far apart,” Lee Priest shared.
When Priest was asked if Walker could skip the 2026 Olympia, he said it was a definite possibility.
“Yeah, I think so. The Olympia is still the Olympia, but I don’t know, some people say it hasn’t got that prestige it used to have when the Weiders were here, now it’s just a Mr. Olympia-type thing. A lot of the prestige and mystique of it is gone, so the Arnold is really right up there with it.”
Priest isn’t the only voice of bodybuilding sharing his thoughts on Walker’s future. Head judge Steve Weinberger recently broke down his Arnold performance. He emphasized that Walker needs to improve his posing transitions and add size to the front of his legs.
Time will tell if fans see Nick Walker back on the Mr. Olympia stage in 2026. The event is set for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RELATED: Guy Cisternino Says Nick Walker Used ‘A Lot Lower’ PEDs and Diuretics for the 2026 Arnold Classic
Watch the full video from the IFBB AMA YouTube channel below:
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