Amid growing conversation online, Hadi Choopan, the 2022 Mr. Olympia winner, has finally addressed the chatter surrounding him.

Just one day before appearing on the stage of the 2026 Arnold Classic, he reflected on the sharp decline in his social media following his commentary about ongoing issues in his home country, Iran.

According to Generation Iron, Choopan lost more than one million followers on Instagram following his remarks. However, in an interview with RxMuscle, he outlined that it didn't affect him. The 2024 Arnold Classic winner said, “Social media did not [build] me, bodybuilding did”.

During the interview, Choopan also said, “Most of the people are not Iranian people. Many of them are bodybuilders who live outside of the country, and they do not know what is going on inside the country".

He added, “Instagram is just a platform, and for me, it's just social media. Social media did not make me great, and it cannot bring me down. I always try to compete for the people and make them happy. Their happiness is the most important thing for me, not social media numbers”.

However, Hadi is still optimistic and believes, “Some people maybe received the wrong information and decided to unfollow” him.

While the online conversation continues to develop, the spotlight suddenly shifted back to the Arnold Classic as The Persian Wolf entered one of the biggest competition stages of the year.

Hadi Choopan Is in a Strong Position at the Arnold Classic Prejudging

Despite all the online chatter, Choopan again proved to the world that he is still a favorite when he takes to the stage. Throughout the Arnold Classic 2026 prejudging, his conditioning helped him take center stage. This time, Choopan is competing with Martin Fitzwater, Andrew Jacked, and Nick Walker, who also proved their capabilities.

Andrew Jacked showed his deep striation and intense leg definition. Fitzwater impressed all with his detailed body and impressive size. They were all included in the first callout.

Next, on the 2nd call, the competitors included were Rafael Brandao, Mo Foda, Brandon Curry, Hassan Mostafa, Anthony Williams, and Akim Williams.

However, Hadi Choopan shocked everyone when his name was announced in the final callout along with 3 other bodybuilders. The final call-out list:

• Hadi Choopan
• Andrew Jacked
• Nick Walker
• Martin Fitzwater.

The list only signals that the fight for the title remains wide open. However, all eyes will remain on the Iranian bodybuilder on whether he can convert the prejudging result into another victory after 2024.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy