Derek Lunsford shares honest thoughts on Mr. Olympia rivals Samson and Andrew

Originally posted on BodyBuildingBros
By Proma Chatterjee | Last updated May 29, 2026 1:31 AM ET

Derek Lunsford has finally spoken about the conflicts with his fellow competitors. He directly addressed Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda in an exclusive interview with Beyond The Stage TV.

Lunsford confirmed that one of the rivals exchanged some uncouth trash talk, though he declined to repeat it. “Some things he said to me were a bit disrespectful,” the champion stated. “And he tried to paint a picture about Samson and me, actually, for that matter, that was just completely untrue.”

Lunsford chose to give a calm reply and not escalate the insults.”I don’t need to be disrespectful, but I will check you, and I will let you know who the Mr. Olympia is,” he said. “I’m going to kick your head off.”

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In addition to hitting back at his competitors, Lunsford made it very clear that he had no intentions of relinquishing his throne anytime soon.

The defending champion also made it clear he sees no credible threat to his throne in the current lineup. “I don’t think it’s just Andrew. I think it’s all those guys. I think they’re all a little bit confused, a little bit unsure of themselves.”

Lunsford was so confident that he also mentioned how many more years he would rule Mr. Olympia.

Derek Lunsford Eyes Three More Years as Mr. Olympia

Lunsford also had an opinion on the prospects of one of his rivals, noting that the individual would need to get his competitive fire back before he could be taken seriously.

“This dude [Dauda], he needs to show up at Tampa or Texas or something and get him back on the podium stage,” he said, referencing coach Fuad Kassem’s tendency to back his own athletes. “Fuad’s always going to be biased towards his guy.”

Regarding his tenure on top, Lunsford was quite clear regarding his plan moving forward. “I can definitely see myself being Mr. Olympia for the next three years, for sure,” he said. “If I’m competing every single year, nobody has a chance.”

Well, the animosity between the contestants is only expected to make Mr. Olympia 2026 more interesting.

But do you think Lunsford will be able to back his words and claim the most prestigious title in bodybuilding for three more years consecutively?

This article first appeared on BodyBuildingBros and was syndicated with permission.

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