As Mr. Olympia approaches day by day, players are feeling the intensity of the competition. Already, the chatter about who will win has started in the corner, and in the middle of that, Derek Lunsford sent a clear warning to Andrew Jacked regarding the Sandow.

On May 21, BTS TV's Instagram account shared a post featuring Lunsford's warning in the caption.

It says, “You’ll never win the Olympia. Mark your words today. I’m 5-0 already. You should thank me for me saying that.”

To provide context for the 5-0, let's look at the stats of both bodybuilders from Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic.

Lunsford’s stats:

• Mr. Olympia 2022: 2nd
• Mr. Olympia 2023: 1st
• Mr. Olympia 2024: 3 rd
• Arnold Classic 2025: 1st
• Mr. Olympia 2025: 1st

Comparing with Jacked’s stats:

• Mr. Olympia 2022: 8th
• Mr. Olympia 2023: 5th
• Mr. Olympia 2024: 5th
• Arnold Classic 2025: 3rd
• Mr. Olympia 2025: 3rd

This is not the only statement Lunsford made to Jacked.

On May 19, BTS TV shared another post, featuring Lunsford's statement where he was seen saying, “You are 41, I'll tell you this, I've been in this far too long and now a father of two. To ever let somebody come in and take it from me. To ever let somebody come in and take the title away from me. This is my title. I worked for it for more than a decade, and nobody's taking it from me.”

Lunsford knows his strengths, and he is consistently focused on his training. But the Nigerian bodybuilder has also gained momentum this year after winning the Arnold Classic and Arnold Classic UK 2026.

So, September will be an interesting month as the reigning champion will fight to keep his title, and the emerging powerhouses, like Jacked, will use his hard work and experience from the Arnold Classic to snatch the title.

While the discussion about who will win is getting intense, 7-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath has shared his opinion on the topic.

Phil Heath believes a new winner will emerge in Mr. Olympia 2026

During his appearance on the Cutler Cast podcast on April 1, Heath said that after the victories at the Arnold Classic, Jacked’s confidence has increased.

Heath said, “His confidence has to be at an all-time high…. he has to know that he is the guy that people are going to be talking about

I mentioned to him last night, you’re the biggest dude, you’re tall, you got the tools, man. Now, Samson is the only guy who has that height and some size as well, but then everybody else is short. They are very short compared to those two.”

According to Heath, in 2026, size and height will determine the Mr. Olympia result.

He also highlighted the areas where Jacked needs to work. Heath said, “Look, I believe with Andrew’s physique, if he can diet, I think if he came down a few more pounds, and get those glutes really sharp, because they are hard, but they are not like [shredded].

He’s got to get down a little bit lower [on the side chest pose]. But if he can do that, and turn it a little to make that hamstring drop, that’s where those shorter guys get him.”

And Heath also admitted, “If we see those improvements, he’s going to potentially win the Olympia. He has a really good chance.”

So, who do you think will win Mr. Olympia 2026?

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil