Derek Lunsford isn’t marching into his 2026 Mr. Olympia title defense quietly. In a July 24 YouTube video, he fired back at claims that there’s no dominant bodybuilder in the Men’s Open division. In addition, he said his rivals aren’t willing to go to a dark place to take his crown.
Lunsford left zero doubt that he was the man to beat following his history-making 2025 bodybuilding season. He won the Arnold Classic, Pittsburgh Pro, and Mr. Olympia consecutively, completing his ‘Triple Crown’ goal. After reclaiming the Sandow trophy, he became one of only two bodybuilders to achieve the feat, which he shares with Jay Cutler.
Despite his momentum, some in the sport aren’t fully sold on his dominance in the Men’s Open. Shahriar Kamali, well known as King Kamali, recently argued that Lunsford doesn’t get respect as champion, emphasizing that “nobody has him winning again.” With doubts about his potential brewing, Lunsford broke down why he leads the current era of bodybuilding.
Derek Lunsford Asks “How Many More Times” He Must Prove He’s the Best in the World
In the Straight Outta the Lair Podcast, Lunsford clapped back at the idea that we don’t have a dominant bodybuilder competing today:
“We want to talk about how, okay, there’s no dominant bodybuilder in bodybuilding right now? What are you talking about? I beat these guys three times last year. Arnold, Pittsburgh Pro, Olympia.”
“And if you want to say, well, you only competed against these guys twice last year, well okay, maybe they didn’t show up because I showed up to the three hardest shows spread out throughout the entire year, was told you shouldn’t do it, you can’t do it, whatever. I went out there, and I competed, and if you showed up, you showed up, and if you didn’t show up, automatic forfeit, I guess.”
After defeating top names like Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and Andrew Jacked multiple times, Lunsford believes he’s proven he’s the best in the world.
“I beat these guys three times last year, and to say that’s not a dominant champion? I mean, what am I supposed to do? How many more times do I gotta show up and show that I’m the best in the world?”
The reigning champ doubled down on his open gym invitation and maintained that his rivals aren’t ready to go to a dark place like he is:
“If they come train with me, yeah [they could go to a dark place], but that’s about it. They need to come train with me. I’m dead serious. You need to come train with me,” he said. “I want to bring the best out of them, and I want the best out of me.”
“That’s it. That’s the only way, to be honest with you. The thing is, we all have it inside of us, we just got to bring it out. I’m going to tell you. I don’t see any of those guys being able to really go to that place that I’m talking about. They think they will. They will think to themselves, oh, I’m doing it, I’m going there; I’m training harder, and I want it more. No, you don’t. Don’t fool yourself.”
Lunsford has dealt with fan hate throughout the season, prompting judge Terrick El Guindy to come to his defense. El Guindy said Lunsford had one of the best backs in the world and argued that no Mr. Olympia champion is without flaws.
Lunsford isn’t afraid to speak his mind before stepping onstage. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is scheduled for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
