Some of the best bodybuilders in the world are gathering in Columbus.
The 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) will be held this weekend in Columbus, OH, and it looks like quite a show is in store. With a lucrative $300,000 prize for the winner of the Men’s Open division, the battle for the headline event figures to be a pretty doozy across the board.
On March 2-5, 2023, fans can begin to focus their energy on one of the biggest bodybuilding shows. Here is a look at the men’s open roster for 2023 AC:
2023 Arnold Classic | Men’s Open Roster
With reigning AC champion Brandon Curry repeating this year, 2021 winner Nick Walker is the favorite in the eyes of many fans and experts. Walker is coming off a third-place finish at the 2022 Mr. Olympia and returns to AC as an obvious means of redemption this competitive season. The athlete has made 2022 Olympia runner-up and former 212 Olympia champion (2021) Derek Lunsford one of his main rivals. Four times Mr. Seven-time 212 Olympia champion (2012-2018) Flex Lewis expects Walker to take the title.
As for who could potentially defeat Walker, there is no shortage of worthy opponents. For one, former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) Mamadou “Big Ramy” Elsbiai is returning to the competition after a two-year absence. Meanwhile, two-time AC winner (2018, 2020) William Bonac aims to return to the top of the podium. The dark horse contender may be Chinedu Andrew Obikia, aka “Andrew Jacked”, who burst onto the scene as an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League rookie in 2022 with wins at the Texas Pro and Arnold Classic UK.
Five other bodybuilding categories will be showcased at the 2023 AC: Fitness, Classic Physique, Wellness, Men’s Physique and Bikini.
Here are their respective rosters:
Fitness
- Ariel Khader (2022 Champion)
- Jacqueline Baker
- Tiffany Chandler
- Oksana Grishina
- Allison Kramer
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Minna Pajulahati
- Land Plum
- Christine Pope
- Tamara Vaughan
Classic physics
- Jason Brown
- Alex Cambronero
- Neil Curry
- Urs Kalecinski
- Kirilo Khudev
- Mehdi Larijani
- Courage Opara
- Ramon Rocha Queiroz
- Mike Sommerfeld
wellness
- Isabelle Nunes (2022 Champion)
- Marissa Andrews
- Sonny Andrews
- Yarishna Ayala
- Angela Borges
- Julia’s guitar
- Ryan Fogel
- Cassandra Gillis
- Andrea Hrenko
- Giselle Machado
Physiology of men
- Erin Banks (2022 Champion)
- Ali Bilal
- Vitor Chaves
- Carlos DeOliveira
- Juan Manuel Gomez
- Emmanuel Hunter
- Youssef Djoudy
- Diego Montenegro
- Jahwair Mullings
- Edwan Ferreira Palmeira
- Antoine Weatherspoon
Bikini
- Lauralee Chapados (2022 Champion)
- Romina Basuldo
- Maureen White
- Jennifer Dorey
- Ivanna Skander
- Eli Fernandes
- Alessia Fauchin
- Phoebe Hagan
- Ashley Cultwasser
- Ukachi Onyeziaka
- India Palino
2023 AC is one of the biggest competitions in fitness, let alone bodybuilding. Walker and co. Audiences and pay-per-view viewers are expected to put on a show. Based on precedent, it seems these superstars deliver.
Featured Image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
