Here’s Victor Martinez’s biggest disappointment from Olympia weekend
Victor Martinez had plenty to say after attending the 2026 Olympia, from Nick Walker’s breakthrough Mr. Olympia victory to the performances of Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, Andrew Jacked, and the rest of bodybuilding’s biggest stars.
But when the former Arnold Classic champion was asked to name his biggest disappointment from Olympia Weekend, Martinez initially pointed to something that happened before several athletes ever had the opportunity to step onstage.
Victor Martinez Reveals His Biggest Disappointment From the 2026 Olympia
Martinez told us what disappointed him most about this year’s Olympia during the latest episode of the Generation Iron Podcast.
His first answer was the competitors who never made it to Las Vegas because of visa and international travel complications.
“Biggest disappointment was the guys that didn’t get to make it,” Martinez said. “The guys that didn’t get to make it because of old crap visas and all that, that’s a shame.”
The biggest name on that list was Hadi Choopan. The former Mr. Olympia was unable to compete this year, removing one of the expected title contenders from an already loaded Men’s Open lineup.
For Martinez, situations like that are particularly frustrating because they have nothing to do with an athlete’s conditioning, preparation, or ability to perform onstage. Months of work can effectively be erased by circumstances outside of a competitor’s control.
However, when Martinez narrowed the question specifically to the bodybuilders who did make it onto the Olympia stage, one performance stood out.
“From the guys that actually competed, got to that stage, it was definitely Regan’s placement…I believe I had him a little higher.”
Martinez Believes Regan Grimes Deserved Better Than Seventh
Regan Grimes ultimately finished seventh in the 2026 Mr. Olympia, an impressive result in one of the deepest Men’s Open fields in recent memory.
Martinez, however, thought Grimes deserved to move further up the standings.
Martinez acknowledged that seventh place was an impressive Olympia showing for Grimes, but he doubled down on his assessment.
“Yeah, I agree,” Martinez said. “But he should have been a little higher.”
Grimes has long earned praise for his structure, shape, and overall aesthetics, but he has struggled to break through against the very top tier of the Men’s Open division.
This year’s Olympia presented an especially difficult lineup. Walker captured his first Sandow, while Dauda finished second and Lunsford fell to third. Andrew Jacked took fourth, with Tonio Burton rounding out the top five.
Tonio’s performance stood out to Victor, calling his showing one of the standout moments of the weekend.
More Olympia Reactions From Victor Martinez
Martinez addressed Grimes’ placement along with several other topics during Generation Iron’s Olympia recap.
He also discussed Walker’s victory and what it could mean for the future of judging in the Men’s Open division. Martinez believes Walker’s combination of extreme muscularity and conditioning could open the door for other “mass monsters” who previously may have been viewed as lacking the traditional flow judges wanted.
Martinez also broke down Dauda’s runner-up finish, Lunsford dropping to third, Andrew Jacked’s fourth-place showing, and several of the biggest surprises across the other Olympia divisions.
For Martinez, though, the athletes who never got the chance to compete remained the most unfortunate part of Olympia Weekend. And among those who did make it to the stage, Grimes finishing seventh was the result with which he had the biggest issue.
Watch the full episode of the Generation Iron Podcast for Martinez’s complete breakdown of the 2026 Olympia and all of the biggest stories coming out of Las Vegas.
