Derek Lunsford Revisits Viral Showdown with Andrew Jacked and Says the Encounter Showed him Something About his Rival’s Mentality
Derek Lunsford has not forgotten his heated training exchange with Andrew Jacked earlier this year. In fact, the reigning Mr. Olympia says the encounter gave him a glimpse into the mentality of one of the biggest threats to his title.
Lunsford recently revisited the viral “Olympia Battle” training session where he famously questioned how Jacked planned to win the Olympia if he was unwilling to train legs. What initially appeared to be some entertaining pre-Olympia trash talk apparently meant much more to Lunsford.
Speaking on Olympia TV, Lunsford said Jacked’s response during the workout left him feeling “disrespected” and ultimately convinced him that he had seen a weakness in his rival as a competitor.
Derek Lunsford Says He Saw ‘Weakness’ in Andrew Jacked
As Generation Iron previously reported, Lunsford and Jacked went back and forth during the Olympia Battle event in May. When Jacked wanted to train shoulders instead of legs, Lunsford immediately pounced.
“How are you gonna win the Olympia if you’re not gonna train legs?” Lunsford said at the time. “You’re never gonna win the Olympia… as long as I have anything to do with it.”
Months later, Lunsford explained that there was more behind those comments than fans may have realized.
“How does this guy come in, this is his first Olympia battle, and he’s not Mr. Olympia, and how does he get to decide this?” Lunsford said.
The defending champion said he viewed Jacked’s reluctance to follow his lead as a lack of effort.
“I just felt like it was total disrespect, and it was a lack of effort. There’s a softness of a mentality that I got to witness firsthand right there.”
Lunsford made a point to separate his assessment of Jacked as a competitor from any judgment about him personally. However, when it came to the competitive side, he did not mince words.
“For me, it let me see the real mentality of who he is as a competitor. As a person, I’m not gonna judge, but as a competitor, I saw weakness, for sure.”
Lunsford vs. Jacked Heads to the Olympia Stage
The exchange adds another layer to a rivalry that has been brewing throughout the 2026 season.
Jacked did not simply absorb Lunsford’s trash talk during their original encounter. He fired back that their previous history would change when they met again, saying there would be a “flip of the script.”
Now they are days away from settling the argument where it matters.
Lunsford enters Las Vegas as the reigning Mr. Olympia and will attempt to defend his Sandow against a loaded Men’s Open field. Olympia organizers themselves have identified Jacked alongside Samson Dauda and Nick Walker as among the serious threats to Lunsford’s title.
The 2026 Olympia takes place Sept. 24-27 in Las Vegas, with Men’s Open prejudging scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25 and the Mr. Olympia champion being crowned Saturday, Sept. 26.
You can find Generation Iron’s official preview and expert picks for Mr. Olympia here!
What started with a disagreement over leg day has turned into something much more personal on the competitive side.
Lunsford believes he saw weakness.
Jacked will soon have the opportunity to prove otherwise.
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