Bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest is breaking down the triumphs and setbacks that defined the 2026 Mr. Olympia. In an October 17 video, he explained why Martin Fitzwater and Derek Lunsford were the biggest disappointments of the weekend. In addition, he talked about Nick Walker’s winning mindset that helped him make history.
Last month’s Mr. Olympia contest shocked the bodybuilding community to its core. Against the odds, Nick Walker secured the Sandow trophy after out-muscling Derek Lunsford and Samson Dauda in the finals. For the second time of his career, Lunsford dropped to third place despite entering the event as the reigning champion.
Martin Fitzwater was considered a frontrunner ahead of the prestigious event. However, he missed the mark and couldn’t even crack the final callout. Ultimately, “The Martian” settled for 13th place, eight spots below his fifth-place finish in 2025. With a brand new Men’s Open landscape, Priest spoke on the show’s aftermath and the championship mentality that worked in Walker’s favor.
Lee Priest’s 2026 Mr. Olympia Disappointments & His Thoughts on Walker’s Mentality
In the video, Priest explained that he wanted to see more from Fitzwater at the Olympia, especially after the physique updates he shared leading into the contest.
“Well, there’d be two people. One, I wouldn’t say he was a disappointment, but I was disappointed because I was expecting more. Looking at Martin’s pictures leading up to the show, I was expecting more. I don’t really know what happened there to Martin. I think that was disappointing. I was expecting him to be up in the top six, that high, and whatever happened, happened. It’s bodybuilding.”
He named Lunsford as his second biggest disappointment:
“The other one would probably be Derek. He still looked good but when we’re talking disappointment, I’m thinking he was probably more disappointed in himself than anyone. He looked okay, but when you got Nick coming in like that, and Samson coming in improved like that. Like I said, if you give up just a little bit, you’re going to get moved down. Sadly, I think that’s what happened to Derek.”
When competing at the highest level, Priest is adamant that mental toughness is required for every Mr. Olympia champion.
“If you’ve got that mental toughness and you can push through and stay positive, look at Nick; all the people, he’s never going to win the Olympia. He’s this, he’s that. He’s like okay, whatever. He said he’d win it one day. Like I said, if you’ve got the mental toughness and you got that willpower, you can accomplish anything. That’s what it comes down to.”
“A lot of people probably haven’t seen their best yet, and all it takes is just getting this fucking right in their head, and then you’ll see their best,” explained Lee Priest.
Lunsford’s coach, Chris Aceto, has also spoken up about their loss. He didn’t dispute Walker’s Olympia victory, but he thought Lunsford displayed sharper conditioning throughout the show.
“I thought his condition was the best in the show. I think the level of muscularity, which is different from condition, Nick had the most amount of muscularity in the show. ”
Time will tell if Lunsford and Fitzwater consider a quick turnaround. Attention is quickly shifting to the 2027 Arnold Classic, scheduled for March 4-7 in Columbus, Ohio.
