Anytime you have a reigning champion, it’s always been believed that you have to knock him out in order to win. There has always been this sort of aura around whoever holds the title of almost being invincible. We saw it with Lee Haney, we saw it with Dorian, we saw it with Ronnie and we even saw it with Jay going into 2009. This is especially true for the Olympia champion because the Olympia is as we all know the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. Even though physique-based sports represent a small niche of the sporting world, within that small niche is the Olympia. It’s the undeniable top title in the world. Nobody wins the Olympia by happenstance. You don’t win the Olympia and defeat the best of the best because of some fluke. That might happen with smaller contests of course but not with the Olympia. It’s also highly unlikely to happen with the Arnold Classic or the New York Pro. When we are talking about the Big 3 shows we are talking about a certain level of excellence that you just cannot parallel anywhere else in the world. And that’s why whenever you have a defending champion with any of these titles going into that particular contest, it’s only natural that the media would almost immediately sing the accolades of the reigning champion. It is very unlikely that there will be a champion that the media doubts to the point of supporting anyone but that individual. We saw that a little bit going into the 2010 Olympia, where the media was largely divided between Dexter and Jay. When I say divided I’m saying it more so to be  respectful to Dexter who was a phenomenal champion. In reality, the vast majority of the media believed Jay was going to win the title back. Even though it had never been done in bodybuilding history there was just a tremendous amount of doubt whether Dexter could defeat Jay at 100%. And as fate would have it, Jay won back the title and Dexter took a surprising third behind Branch Warren. Nonetheless that was an anomaly. Usually people rally around the champ, but that’s not what we’re seeing this year going into the Olympia. There’s a tremendous amount of doubt in in whether Derek can successfully defend the title.

Derek Lunsford has brought a lot of this out upon himself. His demeanor has not been that of a good champion. Derek has all of the makings of the all-American Mr Olympia. He’s young, married with a child, he is well spoken and well liked. Well at least he was well like before he became Mr Olympia for the second time. His demeanor especially in this second Olympia term has soured a lot of people’s opinion of him. While it’s totally fine to be self-confident and even a little bit cocky when you hold the top title, his demeanor has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. His self-confidence has translated almost across the boards as arrogance. His self-absorbedness has created a lot of animosity and friction even amongst his own fellow competitors. Guys like Nick Walker can’t stand him. Guys like Andrew Jacked are very skeptical of him. The bottom line is that he has not become a very likable individual. He has essentially employed somewhat of a scorched Earth philosophy with regards to his fellow competitors as well as certain media outlets. He is largely boxing himself in when what he should be doing is growing the sport. Instead of burning bridges, he should be creating them. Instead of making people dislike him, he should try to be more social. Again, you can’t make everyone happy. I totally understand that, but when you are the sport’s ambassador to the world – you have to kiss a little ass. Did I just say that? I most certainly did!

Bodybuilding is not a household name. It is not on network television. It needs to be a household name and it needs to be on network television and the person that needs to facilitate that is Mr Olympia. Can anyone honestly say that Derek has employed that mindset? Because I would be the first to disagree with you. And as a result of not growing the sport of bodybuilding and not developing a positive demeanor, I think that a lot of people now are doubting whether or not he can retain the title in Las Vegas Nevada. I think that the motivation for that stems from a bias that he himself has helped to create and because of his own physique limitations.

Derek, beneath it all is a former 212 competitor, and that’s an important detail. He’s not very tall and he’s packed on so much muscle that his physique almost looks comical. It’s a far different scenario with a guy that is maybe three or four inches taller that can fill out. A lot of these former 212 guys competing in the open just lack the flow that’s necessary to have a truly artistic physique. And I don’t just limit it to Derek, I also include Hadi in this. Hadi is a phenomenal bodybuilder, but packs on so much muscle that he also does not look like the norm for a Mr Olympia. I know that a lot of people are going to say that I’m nitpicking. What is 3 to 4 inches anyways? It seems like such a minute detail, but there’s more to it. It is a game changer in the physique-based sports world. Because we are not just looking at who has the most muscle, rather, we are looking at who has the most beautiful physique. Now beautiful is not a term that is often associated with bodybuilding because of some of the freak shows that have walked across the stage, but the goal should always be to have a look that compliments the old school, not a look that drives them into the hills. A lot of the old school cats from the ’60s, seventies, and ’80s, look at what some of the bodybuilders of today look like and they’re appalled. That’s not the look that should be winning Top 3 contests. We need a return to the old days. You look at a guy like Andrew, Samson, or even Martin, and you say – yes, that’s what we need. But that’s not what Derek looks like. Even Martin, who’s not as tall as Samson or Andrew, has a look that a lot of people desire to be at the top spot. Derek, on the other hand, has a great back but what else does he have?

This goes back to bodybuilding not being about who is the most muscular, alone. It’s about muscularity, symmetry, and balance. Having the most muscle is just one third of the equation. Having a tremendous back, while very impressive, leaves the fans and the judges asking what else does he have? What else does Derek have that makes him the best? And that’s a question for the ages. This is what I think is keeping a lot of media personalities and bodybuilding handicappers from putting him at the top spot in just a few weeks time. Now granted, the handicappers don’t decide the outcome of the bodybuilding contest, but they certainly have an impact on public opinion. As far as public opinion goes, Derek isn’t going to win the Olympia in 2026. And then you look at guys like Lee Priest, a former Top 6 Olympian, who is also making his predictions known. When it comes to Lee, Derek isn’t even in the Top 3 at the Olympia. Again, Lee doesn’t decide the show, I don’t decide the show, fans don’t decide the show, but public opinion counts for something.

Public opinion used to be so important that the Olympia had the challenge around. Now I’m not suggesting that what people are saying at the water cooler is going to determine what happens on stage, but there is an undeniable force within the sport that does not want Derek to repeat as champion.  The good thing for Derek is that I don’t think he cares. While most people would be frantically looking at social media and absolutely distraught that the vast majority of fans, writers, and pundits in the sport do not believe in him, Lunsford is going to laugh all the way to the bank. In his purview he’s unbeatable. I think that that is going to contribute to him posing hard and coming in at his best. You got to give him kudos for that. Whether it’s zealous self-confidence or complete insanity, it doesn’t really matter because he’s going to bring his best and he’s going to keep his head in the game. The problem is what if Andrew and Samson are in the Top 3 with Derek, does anyone honestly think he’ll emerge victorious?  I feel like that is absolutely delusional, but again in the sport of bodybuilding anything can happen.

If you get anything from this article, it’s that. In the sport of bodybuilding anything can happen.

I want to ask you, the loyal readers of IronMag, do you believe that Derek has what it takes to repeat as Mr Olympian in 2026? Do you believe he’s going to win the Sandow another year in a row? Or do you think guys like Andrew, Samson, and Martin are going to give him a tremendous run for his money and most likely come out winning? Do you think it’ll be someone else?

As always I hope you enjoyed reading my article – here at Ironmag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.

Author Bio:

Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.