The champ is coming back to chomp.
Competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut announced Monday he will return to compete in this year's Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year's gastronomic battle for the coveted Mustard Belt.
“This event means the world to me,” Chestnut, 41, said in a message posted on X. “It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”
It will mark the 20th appearance for the Indiana eater at the Coney Island contest.
Last year, Major League Eating event organizer George Shea said Chestnut, who has won the 10-minute eat-a-thon 16 times, would not be participating due to a contract dispute. Chestnut had struck a deal with a competing brand, the plant-based meat company Impossible Foods.
In a phone interview Monday, the competitive eater made it clear he never appeared in any commercials for the company's vegan hot dogs and that Nathan's is the only hot dog company he has worked with. But Chestnut acknowledged he “should have made that more clear with Nathan’s."
“There was a little bit of communication that we could have improved on last year,” he said. “And I, yeah, I think we figured it out. It took a little bit of finessing.”
Chestnut is still working with Impossible Foods and said “clarifications” have been made to his respective contracts.
Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating, said he did not want to rehash what happened last year because he found it “dispiriting,” but said he’s happy “everything is resolved” now.
“I think it’s the return of the greatest competitive eater of all time to the biggest competitive eating event of all time. So I don’t think it gets much bigger in any sport,” Shea said. “I mean, this guy is the greatest performer we’ve ever seen in Coney Island and in competitive eating.”
Chestnut said he heard from fans over the past year who wanted him to return to the Coney Island event, which is broadcast live on ESPN and even shown overseas.
Last year, he opted to compete against soldiers in Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest. Back in New York, Patrick Bertoletti gobbled up 58 hot dogs to win his first men’s title while defending champion Miki Sudo won her 10th title in the women's division, downing a record 51 links.
Chestnut holds the world record of eating 76 hot dogs.
“Over the last year, I ran into a lot of people who said that it wasn’t the same without me. And I told many people that I was going to work really hard to make sure I got back there,” Chestnut said. “And I’m really happy that Nathan’s and Major League Eating, we were able all to figure it out.”
Chestnut said he been prepping for the big event and has a couple practice sessions left before the July Fourth holiday.
“My body's in tune right now,” he said, explaining how he has to build tolerance for consuming so many hot dogs and “get all those muscles used to working together.” He likened the process to boxer getting in practice rounds before a big fight.
Chestnut made it clear his business relationship with Impossible Foods does not mean he has become a vegan, an assumption he said some fans made last year. Chestnut said he was surprised by the “weird blowback” he received about it, explaining he eats a plant-based diet during his recovery from competitive eating events.
“I love meat. I’m going to continue to eat meat. But when I recover from a contest, I have to eat super clean in order to get my body to try to get back to normal,” he said. “I can’t eat pounds of meat every day.”
FILE - Five-time reigning champion Joey Chestnut competes in the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating World Championship, July 4, 2012, at Coney Island, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2021 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, poses for photos in Coney Island's Maimonides Park, July 4, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after rallying from an 11-point, fourth quarter deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The game was in many ways was emblematic of the culture that Mike Vrabel said he hoped to cultivate in his first season as coach.
“We said we needed to pack two things: We needed to pack our belief and our identity," Vrabel said. “I feel like we did.”
But the victory could also leave the Patriots shorthanded next week against the New York Jets as they look to secure their first AFC East title since Tom Brady's final season with New England in 2019.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has emerged as a Rookie of the Year candidate with four touchdown runs over 50 yards this season, left Sunday’s victory in the second quarter with a head injury and did not return.
Wide receiver DeMario Douglas also injured his hamstring and defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga hurt his foot. That was all in addition to linebacker Robert Spillane sitting out for the second straight game as he continues to deal with his own foot issue.
At 12-3, New England currently has a one-game lead over the Buffalo Bills (11-4) with two games to play. If the Patriots win this Sunday at the Jets and Buffalo loses when it hosts Philadelphia, New England will win the division crown.
It has left a welcome sense of urgency lingering inside the Patriots’ locker room.
“It was awesome to clinch the playoffs, but we want to win the division,” quarterback Drake Maye said.
After being outscored 28-7 in the second half of their Week 15 loss to Buffalo, the Patriots vowed not to let it happen in two games in a row. They made good on that promise, outscoring the Ravens 18-14 over the final two quarters Sunday.
Special teams. Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter and facing a fourth-and-10 on its own 44, New England lined up to punt. Instead, the Patriots faked, snapping directly to punter protector Marte Mapu. He looked to pass, before being tackled for a loss and fumbling. The Patriots recovered, but the Ravens took over on downs and capitalized by scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry to go up 24-13.
It was a disastrous play for a team that has had multiple highlights on special teams this season.
Maye. He was again serenaded with “MVP!” chants from Patriots fans that made the trip to Baltimore, and his play was worthy of it. He had a bumpy start, throwing an interception in the red zone on the Patriots’ opening possession. But he was steady after that, keeping plays alive in the pocket and finding throwing lanes in the Ravens’ defense. Maye finished with a career-best 380 yards passing yards (his first career 300-yard game). He also had two touchdown tosses, his 10th game this season throwing for at least two TDs.
It marked his first career fourth-quarter comeback victory.
“I care about winning. If that’s what it takes, then hopefully I’ll try to do whatever it takes,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do for this team. I won’t change that, no matter if it’s 500 yards or 40 yards. Whatever it is to win the game.”
Run defense. Henry carried 18 times for 128 yards against a Patriots defense that came in allowing just 89.5 yards per game on the ground. It could have been worse, but Henry didn’t get another carry after his 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. The Ravens still finished with 171 total rushing yards, a season-high allowed by the Patriots.
In addition to Douglas, Spillane and Tonga, DT Joshua Farmer injured his hamstring and CB Charles Woods left with an ankle issue.
3 — The Patriots improved to 7-0 on the road this season, leaving them as the NFL’s only team with an unblemished record away from home. This is only the third time in team history that New England has started a season 7-0 on the road. The others were in 2007 and 2016, when they ended up a perfect 8-0.
The Patriots visit a Jets team on Sunday that has lost three straight and five of six.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs in front of Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, left, reacts toward down judge Patrick Turner (13) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is pressured by Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman (12) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
