The Arnold Classic continues to grow in prestige and held its milestone 35th edition in 2024. Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s explosive announcement to supersede the Mr. Olympia prize money by $100,000 also helped boost the event’s importance. Now the Arnold Sports Festival is celebrating champions who elevated the bodybuilding contest to newer heights in the last decade.

“The last 10 Arnold Classic winners have brought some incredible looks to Columbus,“ the Arnold Sports Festival page wrote in their caption. However, they also had a question for the fans. “Which one was your favorite?“ asked the official social media handle for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s namesake contest.

The first name in the list was from 2015 with Dexter Jackson winning his record-setting fifth Arnold Classic title. Then came bodybuilding icon Kai Green, who won his third and final Arnold Classic in 2016. Fan favorite bodybuilder, the late Cedric McMillan, won in 2017. William Bonac lifted the trophy in 2018, followed by Brandon Curry in 2019.

Curry joined the exclusive few who won the Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic in the same season in 2019. Bonac won again in 2020, while fans saw the rise of The Mutant, Nick Walker in 2021. Curry won again in 2022, while Samson Dauda established himself among bodybuilding elite after lifting the trophy in 2023.

Hadi Choopan completed the list as the reigning Arnold Classic champion. Choopan also won the Arnold Classic UK this year and is looking to become the fourth bodybuilding champion to win the Classic and Mr. Olympia in the same calendar year. Commenting below the post, fans didn’t hesitate to choose their favorite from the list of champions.

The bodybuilding community chooses three favorite Arnold Classic champions

Most bodybuilding fans chose former Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan as their favorite. “Monster Hadi Choopan,“ wrote one fan. “King Hadi (Choopan),“ wrote a second fan. Some others also commented the same about the Persian Wolf. However, two other names came up repeatedly. “Cedric, Dexter, and Hadi are the best 3, in my opinion,“ wrote a fan.

“Cedric and Dexter are the most pleasing to look at by far,“ commented one fan. Cedric McMillan won the hearts of the bodybuilding world with his physique, posing, and personality. His untimely death due to a heart attack at 44 shocked the entire bodybuilding community. “2015 is the best winner in the past decade and it’s not even close,“ wrote another fan of Dexter Jackson.

While the community may have its favorites, it’s undeniable that every champion helped shape the Arnold Classic into the premier bodybuilding show that it has become today. Who is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.