“It is a lot of money” - Derek Lunsford reveals why he is skipping the 2023 Arnold Classic

Former 212 Olympia Champion Derek Lunsford had a great Mr. Olympia outing last year. He finished second, just behind newly crowned champion Hadi Choopan.

There has been speculation that Lunsford will participate in the upcoming 2023 Arnold Classic. However, in a recent YouTube video, Lunsford and his trainer Hany Rambod explained his decision to withdraw from the competition.

"I feel this is a decision I don’t need to make on my own. It’s a decision that I should make with my wife because it is a lot of money. As a pro who loves the sport, Arnold Classic is a prestigious title. So, both those things were making me want to do the Arnold."

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Derek Lunsford to skip the 2023 Arnold Classic

Columbus, Ohio, is scheduled to host the 2023 Arnold Classic from March 2 to 5. The entire list for the competition was revealed earlier this month, although there were some notable absences.

However, after the prize money was increased, many star bodybuilders jumped to join the AC roster. Nick Walker, Patrick Moore, Andrew Jacked, and recently, Big Ramy announced their participation.

Fans and other bodybuilding veterans urged Derek Lunsford to participate in the 2023 Arnold Classic. But Lunsford and his trainer Hany Rambod recently discussed on YouTube the reasons why Lunsford will not be taking part in the forthcoming competition.

Hany Rambod disclosed that Lunsford was considering participating in the program after his appearance at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, but he asked him to focus on 2023 Mr. Olympia.

In the video, Derek said he decided to participate with the help of his wife, who emphasized that he should only do so if he could do it in a healthy way. To remain focused on winning the Mr. Olympia title, Lunsford felt justified in forgoing the competition.

With the 2023 Arnold Classic just two months away, Samir Bannout, a former Mr. Olympia winner, urged Lunsford to join the team in order to spice up the competition. Fans were wondering whether Lunsford would make a rapid turnaround for the Arnold Classic based on a recent physical report he released earlier this week.

Nick Walker made the suggestion that Lunsford planned to forego the competition in order to focus on building more muscle as he previously lacked the necessary off-season to do so because of the weight limits for the 212 categories.

However, Walker, the 2022 Olympia People's Champ award winner, will attempt to win the unprecedented $300,000 purse in the 2023 Arnold Classic in less than two months, now that Derek Lunsford's chances of participation have been eliminated.

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Derek Lunsford's performance in the last few years

Derek Lunsford, a former 212 Olympia winner, had a productive season in 2017. Lunsford was thinking about switching to the Men's Open class after winning the Men's 212 category at the 2021 Olympia, which is renowned for attracting some of the craziest mass monsters in the world.

During a guest-posing appearance at the 2022 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro, Lunsford attracted attention. He won over many people with his impressive package as he competed against Nick Walker and Hunter Labrada at the Open, as well as former Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry. After the performance, Lunsford was given a special invitation to compete in the Open division at the 2022 Olympia.

His inclusion in the competition heightened the anticipation for the most esteemed fitness display. The prize was down to two men when it came time to take the stage: Lunsford and Hadi Choopan. In a fiercely contested race with Choopan, who became the first Iranian to win Mr. Olympia, Lunsford ended in second place after defeating the majority of his rivals, including former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay.