Derek Lunsford Reclaims Mr. Olympia 2025 - The Return of Aesthetic Mass

Bodybuilding • Mr. Olympia 2025

Mr. Olympia 2025 – Men’s Open Division: Derek Lunsford Is Back

Posted on October 30, 2025 • by Mel2Fit

The 2025 Mr. Olympia Men’s Open delivered what fans wanted: a high-level battle between former champions, a comeback story, and a clear signal about where pro bodybuilding is heading. Derek Lunsford reclaimed the throne after losing it in 2024, proving that shape, balance, and stage readiness still beat raw mass. Below is a full breakdown: final results, surprises, winner’s strengths, disappointments, and what it all means for 2026.

Final Results – Men’s Open

1. 1. Derek Lunsford (USA) – regained the title with dominant overall balance
2. 2. Hadi Choopan (Iran) – powerful upper body, slightly behind on flow
3. 3. Andrew Jacked (USA) – elite structure, still needs sharper conditioning
4. 4. Samson Dauda (UK) – 2024 champ, a bit off his peak this year
5. 5. Martin Fitzwater (USA) – breakout look, solid future contender

Biggest Surprises

• Lunsford’s comeback – coming back to win after a pec tear two weeks out was not on anyone’s script.
• Samson dropping to 4th – after winning in 2024, most people had him in the top 2.
• Closer placings than expected – the top 4 showed that conditioning now decides everything.

Why Derek Lunsford Won

Derek didn’t win because he was the biggest — he won because he was the most complete. Judges rewarded him for:

• Balanced physique: no real weak points, especially from the back.
• Conditioning: dry, detailed, with excellent separation in the legs.
• Stage presence: confident comparisons, hit every pose like a champion.
• Championship narrative: coming back to reclaim the title always counts in the judges’ eyes.

Disappointments

• Samson Dauda not at 2024 level: still huge and round, but not as sharp — at this level, “a little off” = two places down.
• Hadi’s lower body: upper body was there, but the flow legs/hips wasn’t as clean as Derek’s.
• Not enough new faces: the Open still looks like the same 5–6 guys; fans expected one true rookie shock.

What This Means for the Future

2025 sends a very clear message to Open bodybuilders:

• Shape + conditioning > mass only. Big but blurry won’t win anymore.
• Lunsford is now the man to beat. Whoever wants the 2026 title will have to beat him from the back poses.
• Hybrids are coming. Guys with Classic lines jumping to Open (like Urs) will be a real problem if they nail conditioning.
• Prep timing is everything. Samson is the proof: same athlete, different peak, different result.