• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » BodyBuilding News » 2025 Arnold Classic Pre-Judging Report

2025 Arnold Classic Pre-Judging Report

The opening round matched the hype.

Written by Roger Lockridge
Last updated on May 28th, 2025

The pre-judging round of the 2025 Arnold Classic was held on Friday night, Feb. 28, 2025, in the Battelle Grand of the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH. This contest featured three former Mr. Olympia winners and nine more of the IFBB Professional League’s elite competitors.

2025 Arnold Classic Pre-Judging Report

The roster for this competition is below, with names in alphabetical order.

  • William Bonac
  • Shaun Clarida
  • Brandon Curry
  • Samson Dauda
  • Hussameddin Elsawi
  • James Hollingshead
  • Andrew Jacked
  • Derek Lunsford
  • Patrick Moore
  • Justin Rodriguez
  • Carlos Thomas Jr.
  • Akim Williams
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arnold Sports Festival presented by KSM-66 (@arnoldsports)

After each man was introduced to the crowd in attendance and the audience watching from home on the live stream, the judges grouped the competitors for comparisons. The callouts went as follows.

Callout 1

  • Akim Williams
  • Andrew Jacked
  • Samson Dauda
  • Derek Lunsford
  • Brandon Curry
  • William Bonac

Callout 2

  • Justin Rodriguez
  • Patrick Moore
  • Shaun Clarida
  • James Hollingshead
  • Carlos Thomas Jr.
  • Hussameddin

Callout 3

  • Andrew Jacked
  • Samson Dauda
  • Derek Lunsford
  • Brandon Curry

Callout 4

  • James Hollingshead
  • William Bonac
  • Akim Williams
  • Shaun Clarida

Callout 5

  • Derek Lunsford
  • Andrew Jacked
  • Samson Dauda

Commentary

Head judge Steve Weinberger had the two favorites in the center of the first call-out. Dauda and Lunsford went to propose while flanked by Curry on their right and Jacked on their left. Williams and Bonac rounded out the first group.

A second call-out featured the rest of the competitors. Clarita and Hollinghead were in the middle.

Returning for the third callout were Jacked, Dauda, Lunsford, and Curry, in that order. Lunsford had the conditioning but could not answer Dauda’s size. Weinberger put the presumed top four through two rounds of posing.

Hollingshead, Bonac, Williams, and Clarida were the next four to take center stage. They went through multiple rounds of posing. Williams started beside Bonac in the middle, but Clarida eventually replaced him.

Weinberger reserved the final callout for the two most recent Olympia champions, Dauda and Lunsford, and added Jacked to the mix. Each athlete took their turn in the middle. These are the top three after pre-judging.

Finals on Saturday Night

The Arnold Classic is a two-night event. The finals will be held in the same room on Saturday, March 1. The champion will be crowned at the end of the evening.

BarBend will provide a full recap of the finals from Columbus once the champion receives his trophy and the $500,000 first-place prize purse. 

Fans can go to the Arnold Sports website to register for the free live stream to watch the bodybuilding history bound to be made in Columbus.

More Bodybuilding News

  • Mike Sommerfeld Wins 2025 Arnold Classic Physique Title
  • What’s in Bodybuilder Nathan De Asha’s “Anabolic Chicken Diet”?
  • Sam Sulek Wins 2025 Arnold Amateur Contest, Earns IFBB Pro Card

Featured Image: @ on Instagram

About Roger Lockridge

Roger "Rock" Lockridge has been writing professionally for 10 years and has been training for 20. His work in the fitness industry has been seen in numerous outlets and has been a part of coverage for several events including the Mr. Olympia, Arnold Classic, the CrossFit Games, and the Olympics. He's also shared his own personal success story in several interviews and articles. Lockridge lives in West Virginia with his wife and son.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap