Arnold Classic 2026: A $750,000 purse, a wide-open field, and the picks shaping Columbus
Peak week has begun, and arnold classic 2026 has taken over Columbus, Ohio, from March 5-8 (ET), with a Men’s Open prize that reaches a $750, 000 purse and a lineup that supporters describe as unusually difficult to call.
Who is James Hollingshead backing—and why does it matter ahead of Arnold Classic 2026?
On March 4 (ET), bodybuilder James Hollingshead shared his top 10 Men’s Open picks before the contest begins in Columbus. His list lands at a moment when the conversation around the show has narrowed, in practice, to a small group of names—while the actual competitive field includes multiple athletes with credible cases to disrupt expectations.
Two contenders have been widely backed as favorites: Hadi Choopan and Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea. Choopan has taken second place for a third time at the Mr. Olympia and won the Arnold Classic in 2024. Choopan did not compete last year, and supporters frame that absence as meaning he never truly lost his title onstage.
Obiekea’s momentum is tied to rapid progress in the IFBB Pro League. His breakout at the 2025 Mr. Olympia ended with a third-place finish, the highest of his career. Observers have pointed to his stature and hamstring improvements as reasons to believe he is emerging as a Men’s Open star. He arrives in Columbus with additional momentum after a recent win at the Romania Pro.
Is the favorite narrative hiding the real depth of the Men’s Open field?
The emphasis on Choopan and Obiekea has not erased expectations for Martin Fitzwater, who took fifth at Olympia and then defeated Samson Dauda at the Prague Pro—an outcome described as a shock. Nick Walker is also under intense scrutiny as he seeks to rebut the idea that his sixth-place Olympia finish reflects his true level. This time, Walker has kept physique updates under wraps, leaving supporters and rivals with limited visibility into what he will bring to the stage.
Beyond those four names, additional contenders have credentials that complicate any simple two-man storyline. Rafael Brandao took bronze at the 2024 Arnold Classic, keeping him in the discussion. Brandon Curry—a former 2019 Mr. Olympia—has won the Arnold Classic twice (2019, 2022). Curry also stands out as the only athlete in the lineup to defeat Choopan in a contest, a detail that reshapes how some fans assess Choopan’s position entering Columbus.
Mohamed Foda has been identified as a legitimate threat, and Akim Williams is described as a “mass monster, ” another factor that raises uncertainty around how the final call could look once judging begins.
What is at stake when arnold classic 2026 begins in Columbus?
With the Men’s Open winner set to secure a $750, 000 purse, the competitive stakes of arnold classic 2026 are being framed as “life-changing, ” adding financial gravity to a contest already loaded with reputation-defining implications for top athletes and rising challengers alike.
The show runs March 5-8 (ET) in Columbus, Ohio. Within that window, the biggest question is whether Choopan’s prior Arnold Classic win and continued Olympia-level consistency can hold off a challenger gaining momentum in real time—while a cluster of proven names, including Fitzwater, Walker, Brandao, Curry, Foda, and Williams, sit positioned to alter the final order.
Hollingshead’s picks are not the only public endorsement shaping expectations. Jay Cutler, a former four-time Mr. Olympia winner, recently suggested that Obiekea has “all the tools” to win the 2026 Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia. As the contest begins, that kind of assessment places added attention on whether Obiekea can convert momentum into a defining victory on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
