Men’s Open bodybuilder Martin Fitzwater dispelled all doubts. He has officially confirmed that he will take part in the prestigious Mr. Olympia 2026 competition, while openly sharing the difficulties he has been going through lately.
Martin Fitzwater has had a roller coaster ride on the bodybuilding scene over the past year. He proved to be a world-class competitor at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, finishing a brilliant fifth place in a packed field, beating big names like Nick Walker, Brandon Curry and Tonio Burton. His form was building at the time and he confirmed it all with a huge win at the EVLS Prague Pro where he beat Samson Dauda. This secured his ticket to the “Super Bowl of Bodybuilding” for 2026 in advance.
Disappointment at the Arnold Classic and loss of sponsors
This year, “The Martian” had a clear goal – to win the main prize at the Arnold Classic in Ohio. But things didn’t go according to plan and Fitzwater finished “only” in fourth place. The situation was made worse by an incident where he publicly celebrated Nick Walker’s narrow loss to Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obieke. Fans perceived his behavior as unsportsmanlike, which sparked a wave of criticism and eventually led to several sponsors ending their association with him.
He subsequently attempted to repair his reputation at the Arnold Classic UK, but lacked his usual tightness and scored another fourth place finish. Some fans even began to speculate whether this might not spell the end of his promising career.
Back in the game thanks to Brett Wilkin
Despite a huge wave of criticism and a tough time, Fitzwater has a clear goal again today: winning the dream Sandow statue. In a recent video on Brett “The Butcher” Wilkin’s YouTube channel, he looked back on the past months and admitted:
“As you may have seen, I slipped and fell a bit in March. I had probably one of the worst months of my life, not only business-wise, but performance-wise.”
At the same time, however, he expressed tremendous gratitude to Brett Wilkin in particular, who helped him through the tough times:
“This guy grabbed me by the collar, picked me up, and made sure I was doing everything I needed to do. Thanks to him, I’m now in a position where we are 17 weeks away from Olympia to get there and show exactly what we want to show,” added a motivated Fitzwater.
Coach Kienzl has no doubts about him
While a part of the bodybuilding community has started to doubt Fitzwater, his coach Stefan Kienzl is behind him as solid as a rock. He is convinced that it is only a matter of time before Martin wins the Mr. Olympia title.
“I stand by what I said. Martin will win the Olympia,” said Kienzl confidently. “I know his work ethic and I know his potential.”
The line-up for the Men’s Open category at Mr. Olympia 2026 is starting to take shape and fans are expecting a historic battle. The entire event will take place September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What do you think? After this year’s missteps, does Martin Fitzwater still have a chance to fight for the top spots at the Olympia? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
FULL PUSH DAY with the Butcher & Martian
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