Does Hadi Choopan have the tools to win the 2027 Arnold Classic? Lee Priest doesn’t think so. In a recent video (October 19, 2026), Priest backed Nick Walker to win the event and predicted that Arnold Schwarzenegger would boost the prize money to the million-dollar mark.
At the 2026 Arnold Classic, Nick Walker lost to Andrew Jacked and missed out on a massive $750,000 winner’s purse. Despite the setback, “The Mutant” considered the outing a success, having beaten Hadi Choopan for the first time in his career. Months later, “The Persian Wolf” withdrew from the Mr. Olympia due to visa and travel restrictions.
Against the odds, Walker brought a lights-out package to scoop up the Olympia title. He heads into Columbus as the on-paper favorite, but faces a rematch with Choopan and Jacked. Samson Dauda and Derek Lunsford have yet to confirm whether they will compete at the contest. Looking ahead, Priest broke down why he’s backing Walker to win it all at the Arnold.
Lee Priest Talks Nick Walker vs Hadi Choopan at 2027 Arnold Classic, Says Prize Money Could Jump to 1 Mil
In the video, Priest went out on a limb and predicted that the prize money would increase to a million at the next Arnold Classic.
“I’m predicting a million,” said Priest. “It’s the 50th anniversary, I’m telling you… because Arnold wants to be the first. Even if he doesn’t do it the following year, the 50th anniversary, you make that a million dollars, you’ll get fuckin everyone coming out of the woodwork to go for a million dollars. You’ll have Samson. You’ll have everyone show up for that million dollar show.”
He argued that Walker has Choopan beat on conditioning and doubted his chances:
“I don’t think now. The way Nick looks now, Hadi has got age on his side. Hadi’s main thing was conditioning, but Nick has him there now, so I don’t think Hadi is going to look as impressive as he used to. He can still do well, but I don’t think he’s going to take Nick on if Nick comes in like he did at the Olympia.”
With Milos Sarcev guiding Choopan, Priest said they might throw caution to the wind to bring his all-time best.
“I’m thinking if Milos is helping him, like I said, if this is his last hoorah, I think he’s going to go all-out, balls to the wall. If he’s healthy and got a healthy clearance from the doctor, he’d be like lets push the envelope one more time.”
“He’ll [Nick Walker] be hard to beat,” added Lee Priest.
Walker has been open about his goals moving forward. He wants to win the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia until 2030. With the lineup taking shape, he might have to take out a dramatically improved Choopan to claim gold. Additionally, Andrew Jacked is locked on to redemption after falling to fourth at the Olympia.
The second biggest event in the IFBB Pro League is coming soon. Fitness Volt will have live coverage of the 2027 Arnold Classic, set for March 4-7 in Columbus, Ohio.
