A complete guide on how to watch the 2023 Arnold Classic.
The 2023 Arnold Classic and Arnold Sports Festival will take place on March 2-5 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Ohio Expo Center in Columbia, OH. This event is considered the second-largest bodybuilding show of the year, trailing only the Olympia. The bodybuilding show will be split on Friday and Saturday with different prejudging and finals spanning over the two days.
While there have been some scattered bodybuilding shows in previous weeks, the Arnold Classic is considered by many to be the start of the IFBB Pro and NPC bodybuilding season. With some of the top names scheduled to make an appearance, the Arnold Classic is a bit of a precursor to the Olympia, which will take place later in the year.
Following the format of last year, the Men’s Open prejudging and finals will take place on different days. Previously, they have occurred on the same day but like last year’s event, the prejudging will take place on Friday night while the finals will be Saturday. The prejudging round will give fans a sense of how the standings will come out on Saturday.
How To Watch The 2023 Arnold Classic
The 2023 Classic will be back this year as a pay-per-view event on FanMio for $59.99. This price will get you access to the entire event, including the Pro Bodybuilding competition along with the Strongman and Strongwoman shows. The Arnold Sports Festival will feature 10,000 athletes from 80+ nations that will compete in over 50 events over the course of three days in Columbus.
You can buy the PPV event via FanMio at their official website right here.
2023 Arnold Classic Schedule
FRIDAY
- 10am-7pm (EST): Arnold Strongman Classic Events
- 10am-7pm (EST): Arnold Strongwoman Classic Events
- 12pm-2pm (EST): Classic Physique, Fitness, Wellness Prejudging
- 7pm-9:30pm (EST): Classic Physique, Fitness, Wellness Finals + Men’s Open Prejudging
SATURDAY
- 10am-11am (EST): Pro Wheelchair Prejudging and Finals
- 10am-7pm (EST): Arnold Strongman Classic Events
- 10am-7pm (EST): Arnold Strongwoman Classic Events
- 11am-12pm (EST): Men’s Physique, Bikini Prejudging
- 7pm-10pm (EST): Men’s Physique, Bikini, Men’s Open Finals
SUNDAY
- 9:30am-1pm (EST): Arnold Showcase Seminar
2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Line Up
The field remains small for the 2023 Arnold Classic but it is heavy at the top. The organizers for the event decided to raise the prize purse to $300,000 and competitors decided to throw their name into the ring.
Nick Walker and Andrew Jacked entered the show, along with Big Ramy. There will be many dark horses taking the stage in the event as well.
- William Bonac
- Shaun Clarida
- Samson Dauda
- Kamal Elgargni
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
- Chinedu Andrew Obiekea
- Patrick Moore
- Justin Rodriguez
- Nick Walker
- Akim Williams
What To Expect
There are 10 competitors set to take the stage and five of them have titles at either the Arnold Classic or Olympia.
Nick Walker and William Bonac enter the show as former champions of the Arnold Classic. Walker won the 2021 Arnold Classic and did not defend his title last year. Now, he is considered the favorite heading into this event. Walker placed third during the 2022 Olympia and showed that he is one of the top competitors in the world.
Bonac has titles from 2018 and 2020. Last year, he finished as the runner-up as Brandon Curry secured the victory. If Bonac is able to win this year, he will become one of five bodybuilders all-time that have three Arnold Classic titles.
Big Ramy is a two-time Olympia champion while Shaun Clarida and Kamal Elgargni have won titles in 212 during their careers. Along with the former champions, there are dark horses that can step up. It begins with Samson Dauda, who impressed during the Olympia. After his performance in Las Vegas, many believes that Dauda will be a threat to the Arnold title this weekend.
If Walker is considered the favorite, Andrew Jacked might be right behind him. Jacked burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2021, winning the 2022 Texas Pro, which qualified him for the Olympia. He added a title at the Arnold Classic UK before finishing eighth on the biggest stage in the sport. It will be interesting to see during prejudging who looks like the top five and who is slated in the top three.
Generation Iron will be providing complete coverage of the event including pre-judging reports and analysis, breaking news, and final results. Make sure to check out our official coverage page right here for updates.
