Nathan’s has a new champ.
The annual hot dog eating contest on Coney Island went to competitive eater Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 franks (and buns) in just 10 minutes. Impressive, but far short of Joey Chestnut’s mind-bending record of 76, set back in summer 2021.
Chestnut did not compete this year after a contract dispute with Nathan’s.
Bertoletti winning the title because Chestnut was released from the promotion is kind of like Jon Jones beating Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight strap. It’s hard to recognize him as the true king of the 265-pound mountain with Francis Ngannou still competing in MMA.
Or maybe Ngannou was just scared of “Bones” and ran for his life.
Chestnut will stage his own hot dog eating contest later today at Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, and plans to live stream the festivities on his YouTube channel here.