The 2022 Arnold Classic will take place as part of the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival (ASF) in Columbus, OH, on March 4-5, 2022. The 34th edition of the second-most prestigious bodybuilding contest behind the Olympia will feature prejudging on Friday, March 4, and finals on Saturday, March 5. Both prejudging and finals will occur in the Battelle Grand Ballroom in the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
The 2022 Arnold Classic will available to watch via pay-per-view on FanMio for $24.99. It can be purchased from any device and cast to a larger screen via Roku, Chromecast, and other major streaming devices. The official roster at the time of this article’s publication for Men’s Open bodybuilding is the following:
2022 Arnold Classic — Open Bodybuilding
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
- Maxx Charles (USA)
- Brandon Curry (USA)
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Steve Kuclo (USA)
- Fabio Giga Rezende (Brazil)
- Justin Rodriguez (USA)
- Brett Wilkin (USA)
Several competitors have announced their withdrawals from the contest due to injuries, including Cedric McMillan, Nathan De Asha, Akim Williams, Mohamed Shaaban, and Rafael Brandão.
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[Related: IFBB Pro Bodybuilders Brett Wilkin & Iain Valliere Train Shoulders and Triceps Ahead of 2022 Arnold Classic]
A New Champion
The 2022 Arnold Classic is guaranteed to see a new champion stand atop the podium. The reigning 2021 Arnold Classic champion Nick Walker chose not to participate, vacating the title. Walker is unlikely to compete again until the 2022 Olympia weekend on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, where he intends to improve upon his fifth-place finish from 2021 and potentially raise the Sandow trophy overhead.
Of the nine remaining competitors, two of them are previous Arnold Classic champions — two-time Arnold Classic champion William Bonac (2018, 2020) and 2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry. Curry won the 2019 Arnold Classic. Curry is one of only three men to ever win the Arnold Classic and the Olympia in the same year. The other two are eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman (2001) and Dexter Jackson (2008). Jackson holds the record for most Arnold Classic victories at five (2005-06, 2008, 2013, 2015).
Based on recent performances at elite level shows, Curry is the favorite to win the 2022 Arnold Classic, as he has been in the top two at the Olympia for the past three years (champion in 2019, runner-up to Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay in 2020-21). Should anyone upset Curry for the top spot in Columbus, it will generate them a ton of momentum heading into the 2022 Olympia.
Featured image: @regangrimes on Instagram
