In two months’ time, the city of Columbus, Ohio will experience one of the riveting contests in bodybuilding. The Arnold Classic bodybuilding contest is back for its 35th edition and it is bigger than ever. What initially started as a Men’s Open bodybuilding contest has evolved to include multiple IFBB Pro League divisions. However, the Men’s Open division remains the crown jewel of the competition. Here’s exploring the contest, its contestants, and who to look out for.

On 6th January 2023, the Arnold Sports Festival announced the roster for the various divisions at the Great Columbus Convention Center. Here are the eight men who will compete against each other at the Men’s Open division.

These eight men will be fighting for the Arnold Classic title this year

Justin Rodriguez, Patrick Moore, William Bonac, Shaun Clarida, Samson Dauda, Kamal Elgargni, Nick Walker, Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, and Akim Williams are the exhaustive players fighting for the elusive title. While Bonac stands a chance to win his 3rd title, others like Dauda aka The Nigerian Lion will look to win for the first time.

William Bonac has previously won this division in 2018 and 2020 and is the only previous title winner who will be competing this year. This Ghanaian-Dutch bodybuilder has been setting fitness standards at age 40 and is in no mood of slowing down anytime soon. Besides him, Shaun Clarida and Kamal Elgargni are also previous winners but hail different titles. They are the winners of Olympia 212, with Clarida winning it twice in 2020 and 2022, whereas Elgargni won it in 2019.

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Others will be looking to win the title for the first time. Except for Bonac, anybody who wins will become the 20th man ever to win the Arnold Classic Men’s Open Division. Defending champion Brandon Curry is notably missing from this year’s list.

The hits and the misses from the roster for Arnold Classic 2023

On his YouTube channel Nick’s Strength and Power, Nick Miller talks about the Men’s Open list. Only three out of the seven competitors ended in the Top 10 at Mr. Olympia last year. Nick Walker was at 3rd position, Samson Dauda, the topmost ranked of the lot, was sixth whereas Bonac was ninth, Awodibu and Williams were tied at 16th, and Rodriguez was in 15th position at the Olympia. They will all be looking for redemption at the Arnold Classic this time around. Besides Kamal Elgargni and Shaun Clarida, the only other recent Olympia 212 winner missing the list is Derek Lunsford.

With an eclectic mix of bodybuilders from various weight categories, the Men’s Open division is all set for success. Who do you think stands the best chance of winning this edition? Let us know in the comments.

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