And The Mutant Awoke...

 

A few days before the Mr. Olympia Open, I was certain that Derek Lunsford would repeat last year’s victory and make history. His strategy changed, and I wasn’t entirely on board with it. In 2025 Lunsford entered several contests, made adjustments, and arrived at the Olympia in impeccable shape. This year he sat everything out, prepared solely for the Olympia, and that made the difference. He showed up in good condition, but from there he started losing condition. It’s not the first time it’s happened to him. Derek won the Mr. Olympia Open in 2023 and dropped to third in 2024. He won again in 2025, and fell back to third in 2026. There’s definitely a pattern. Watch out for Lunsford next year!

In second place I had Andrew Jacked. He had finished third at the 2025 Mr. Olympia and then went on a wild streak. He won the Romania Pro, the Arnold Classic, and the Arnold Classic UK in 2026. In short, Jacked followed Lunsford’s 2025 path and looked like the big contender for 2026. He became one of the bodybuilders who earned the most prize money in contests in a single year in the history of the sport. But he arrived out of condition at the Olympia. Maybe his 42 years weighed on him. For Jacked this was one of the last real chances to win the title. It seems unlikely he’ll put together another streak like this year’s before the Olympia.

In third place I had Nick Walker. I knew that at some point the Mutant would unleash his great revenge on the Olympia stage. But I felt it was only a matter of time. Walker is 32 and one of the youngest in the top 5. I believed his triumph was still a couple of years away. I was completely wrong. Walker dominated the prejudging. He beat them all. He stayed in the center in almost every comparison. In a year when he stood next to Samson Dauda and Derek Lunsford in good condition, Walker prevailed. He showed clear improvements over last year, withstood Dauda’s onslaught, and took the night.

I had him ranked below Jacked because the latter had beaten him at the 2026 Arnold Classic. There weren’t many signs that he could jump from sixth place at last year’s Olympia all the way to first. But Walker proved that many of us were very wrong about his ability. He landed the first blow, and what a blow it was. Then he held on like a beast. It was crazy to watch how he maintained the lead, faced the best, and dominated them.

Samson Dauda had finished fourth last year after being Mr. Olympia in 2024. It was obvious he was carrying an enormous thirst for revenge. His strategy this year was very different from 2025. This time he dedicated himself to adding maximum size, packing as much muscle as possible onto his enormous frame, and stepping on stage as one of the heaviest competitors in history. The strategy worked. Almost. At the end of the contest Dauda improved even more and his physique got better. From fourth place last year, it looked like he would climb all the way back to first. Dauda showed perhaps his best form. He could have won. He was a couple of points away. But he couldn’t. Walker finally prevailed. Do the same next year, Samson!

What Walker did was crazy. His best previous Olympia placing had been third in 2022. A return after four years and reaching the absolute top is incredible. With Walker, the mass monsters are back at the highest level. The colossal, monstrous physique imposes itself once again. Yes, Dauda and Jacked looked bigger at certain moments, but Walker packed more quality muscle per centimeter of height than anyone. With him as the new Mr. Olympia, the Open division regains the spectacle and capacity to surprise that it should have. A new era of monsters chasing extreme muscular development, beyond aesthetics, begins.

Walker’s youth is probably one of his great advantages. He has a bright future ahead. He has already proven he has the physique and the champion’s mentality. Now comes the hardest part: proving it year after year after year. He has more than enough material to do it. What a Mr. Olympia Open we witnessed. It surprised us and shook us up.