"I saw a really great post from Lee Haney this morning. He said, 'Guys, Derek is not the one who decides the championship'," Jay Cutler said on the December 20 edition of Jay Walking.

Cutler was weighing in on the debate after Derek Lunsford received severe backlash for winning the 2025 Olympia. Discussions around whether new-age bodybuilders defend their titles or legacies with enough conviction resurfaced, and Cutler offered his two cents.

"A lot of social media discussion about the greatest eras. We all think our era is the best. The question is, which one is truly the best, and they love to compare," said Jay Cutler.

"I saw Derek is a little bit on the defensive about him winning,” said Cutler, sympathizing with the current champion. However, he also highlighted the domination of those who came before Lunsford.

“We hear more than ever now, you know, who could have beaten Dorian Yates in his run, and then Ronnie. Like, you know, obviously I think Phil was the most uncontested one,” said Jay Cutler.

The former Arnold Classic winner also highlighted how today's contenders bring variety to the stage.

Jay Cutler highlighted the uniqueness of the current era

Modern bodybuilding has had many Mr. Olympia champions, unlike the mass-monster era, where first Dorian Yates and then Ronnie Coleman dominated.

Jay Cutler revealed that he believes Lunsford, Samson Dauda, and Chinedu Andrew 'Jacked' Obiekea, Hadi Choopan, and the other top contenders each add another layer to the overall competitiveness on the Olympia stage.

"I think Derek, I think Hadi, I think Samson, I think Andrew Jacked, I think all those guys are great representations of what bodybuilding is because they all have unique traits," said Cutler.

He further added, "Andrew has the height, and he has the tie-ins, where Hadi has got that crazy conditioning," added the dour-time Mr. Olympia.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi