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This seems to be the prevailing theme whenever 2025 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford\u2019s name comes up with the 2026 event. A lot of people that were excited for him in 2025 when he scored the trifecta aren\u2019t singing the same tune today. And that\u2019s because of several factors.<\/p>\n
For starters, Derek hasn\u2019t competed since the Olympia. That\u2019s both smart, but it\u2019s also playing it very safe. I get it, you\u2019re damned if you do and you\u2019re damned if you don\u2019t. Wasn\u2019t I the writer who chastised Samson Dauda for doing the ASC right after winning the O? Yes, that would be me. And now I\u2019m criticizing Derek for having done the opposite? In full transparency it\u2019s a little yes and a little no. In Samson\u2019s case I thought it was mistake because that was his first O and because he needed to ground himself a bit more. Also, Samson wasn\u2019t as vocal as Derek has been. Dauda was a humble champion, meanwhile Derek has been anything but. Lunsford\u2019s self-confidence has turned a lot of people off. Whereas in 2025 he looked like an underdog, in 2026 everyone is hoping that he\u2019ll get toppled. He\u2019s been very tough on Nick Walker and Andrew Jacked. Even legends like Lee Priest have taken to mocking the reigning champ using funny AI videos. It\u2019s all good fun, right? Well\u2026, yes and no. There seems to be a lot of that in this article, but Derek has only himself to blame. He\u2019s become an exceedingly polarizing figure in physique-based sports. In many ways, his behavior reminds me of Phil Heath before his PR makeover in 2020. The difference there is an obvious one. Phil had amassed seven consecutive Sandows. His arrogance with Kai came after three wins. And by the time he was up to five or six wins, his ego was the size of Texas. Derek\u2019s ego is equally as big, but unlike Phil, Derek lost the title once and then was able to regain it.<\/p>\n
If the 2026 bodybuilding landscape has any guarantees it is this \u2013 no one is dominating the scene. There isn\u2019t a Ronnie, a Phil, or even a Jay at his prime. I\u2019d argue Jay\u2019s prime was 2001 and 2006, but there\u2019s just no one that\u2019s night and day above the rest of the pack. Derek may think he\u2019s in that category, but if he banks on it, he\u2019ll lose. We already saw that happen, why couldn\u2019t it happen again? It\u2019s one thing for the champ to get in Nick\u2019s or Andrew\u2019s head, but he can\u2019t be about that bullshit with his own mindset. His shots look sick and he\u2019s definitely doing his homework, but he needs to be aware of his surroundings. Yes, Lunsford has a phenomenal back. No one\u2019s arguing that. And yes, Derek has tremendous wheels \u2013 no one is arguing that, either, but what about everything else? What about his chest? What about his delts? What about his arms? What about his midsection and his flow? And what about the mandatory poses? Does he dominate Andrew and Nick on all of those as well?<\/p>\n
And what about Martin? Martin Fitzwater is perhaps the most compete bodybuilder on that stage. He lacks the star power of Nick or Andrew, but that\u2019s because those guys don\u2019t have as many enemies as The Martian does. We can\u2019t forget that Martin has amassed a following of writers and content creators that have it in for him. That said, the Olympia promotions feature him prominently and his numbers on social media have been growing consistently. I also feel that he\u2019s finally linked up with a sponsor that sees the potential in him. I like Fouad and I like his brand, but who\u2019s going to tell me that Abiad was rooting hard for Fitzwater? His predictions were conservative ones, and he was usually on the money, but as a sponsor you need to be a cheerleader for your talent. For whatever reason, I don\u2019t think Hosstile ever really saw Martin as more than a cash cow. He made them money and he made money with them in the process, but I don\u2019t think they featured him the way they should have. Anyways, he\u2019s with a better company for his career now. He\u2019s also made significant improvements \u2013 even to areas that were already impressive as they were.<\/p>\n
Then of course there\u2019s a whole pool of guys who could potentially upset the apple cart. You can never count out guys like William Bonac. Just when you want to wish them well in their retirement, they smash right back into the mix. If anyone has ever doubted The Conqueror, I think they realized very quickly what a foolish move that was. Brandon is another guy to watch out for. They\u2019re from that old guard, but they\u2019re still very dangerous. And you can\u2019t forget that The Prodigy is a former Mr. Olympia. That right there makes him a guy you just can\u2019t take lightly. He\u2019s been at the top before and believe me, he knows how to get there again. I never thought Brandon should have lost the Sandow in 2020 and what he brought in 2021 was nothing short of amazing. He came with 20lbs more muscle, sharper wheels and back, and out-conditioned Ramy. It was embarrassing for The Egyptian Phenom, yet somehow, he was able to win<\/em> his second Sandow. And where\u2019s Big Ramy in 2026?<\/p>\n Exactly.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n