NEW YORK — Famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest after after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle in New York for the coveted Mustard Belt.
Chestnut, 41, consumed 70 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, falling short of his record of 76 wieners and buns set on July 4, 2021. It marked the 17th win in 20 appearances for the Westfield, Indiana, eater at the internationally televised competition, which he missed in 2024 over a contract dispute.
Defending champion in the women’s division, Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won her 11th title, downing 33 dogs, besting a dozen competitors. Last year, she ate a record 51 links.
A large crowd, many wearing foam hot dog hats, braved high temperatures to witness the annual eat-a-thon, held outside the original Nathan’s Famous restaurant in Coney Island, Brooklyn, since 1972. Many show up to see Chestnut’s much-awaited return to an event he has called “a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”
Chestnut bested 14 fellow competitors from across the U.S. and internationally, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Ontario, England and Brazil.
Last year, Major League Eating event organizer George Shea said Chestnut would not be participating in the contest due to a contract dispute. Chestnut had struck a deal with a competing brand, the plant-based meat company Impossible Foods.
Chestnut told The Associated Press last month that he had 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.”
Last year, Chestnut ate 57 dogs — in only five minutes — in an exhibition with soldiers, at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. He said that event was “amazing” and he was pleased to still have a chance to eat hot dogs — a lot of them — on July Fourth.
“I’m happy I did that, but I’m really happy to be back at Coney Island,” he said.
Last year in New York, Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago gobbled up a 58 to earn the men’s title.
Bitcoin has hit $105,000 less than 48 hours after tapping $98,900, reflecting a growing sense of optimism among investors today.
The market rally comes as Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and crypto prices have risen across the board as a result.
As Bitcoin surges, a new Bitcoin-themed meme coin called BTC Bull Token (BTCBULL) is gaining momentum in its presale, having raised over $7.3 million so far.
With less than a week to go in the presale, BTCBULL is shaping up to be one of 2025’s hottest new coins. The project will release Bitcoin airdrops when BTC hits new all time highs, fueling excitement among investors.
Bitcoin Rallies 3.8% on Ceasefire Announcement, Rate Cut Hopes
A ceasefire in the Middle East, alongside an increasing bet on incoming interest rate cuts, is driving Bitcoin and the broader crypto market higher.
US President Donald Trump announced a “total ceasefire” between Israel and Iran. This eased investors’ concerns about the conflict, which had seriously escalated in recent weeks.
Watcher Guru highlighted that $50 million worth of Bitcoin shorts were liquidated in a 60-minute window following the announcement, reflecting that the market views it as a highly bullish development.
JUST IN: $50,000,000 worth of Bitcoin shorts liquidated in the past 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller says that rate cuts could be implemented in July to address the US’s weakening labor market. He also cited that inflation is under control, which is what the Fed has been holding off on thus far.
The 🇺🇸 Fed expects rate cuts in July:
Wednesday: Powell says he is concerned that jobs could break down soon.
Friday: Waller expects a cut in July due to labor market weakening & low inflation.
Monday: Bowman AND Goolsbee expects a cut in July due to labor market weakening… pic.twitter.com/ZTDNh6OKkF
Lower interest rates have historically been beneficial for risk markets, prompting investors to shift away from risk-off assets, such as treasuries, and into risk-on assets, like stocks, commodities, and digital assets.
Coupled with what appears to be cooling tensions in the Middle East, this creates a favorable environment for the growth of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin currently trades at $105,300 and is up 3.8% today. It remains down 0.5% this week, 1.8% this month, and 5.95% from its May 2025 all-time high (ATH).
There has been a 7% surge in Bitcoin’s trading volume today, taking it to $67.2 billion.
Analyst Says Bitcoin to Reclaim M2 Trajectory
The M2 money supply has historically proven an accurate lead indicator for Bitcoin’s price performance. Bitcoin followed the rising M2 money supply throughout its 2021 bullish trajectory, and then crashed as the M2 growth slowed in 2022.
This cycle, it’s following the M2 growth once again, with additional tailwinds from spot ETFs and institutional adoption.
However, Bitcoin recently decoupled from the M2 supply, which some skeptics argued invalidates the correlation. However, analyst Merijn noted that Bitcoin currently follows an identical pattern to in April, shortly before it exploded to a new ATH.
Both times, the Bitcoin price fell only to find support and then start bouncing. Merlijn calls this a “bear trap” and suggests that the next breakout is coming soon.
M2 leads. Bitcoin follows.
Global liquidity is rising and $BTC is breaking free from the bear trap.
Just like April, just like before the last breakout.
Considering its strength in recent days, this certainly can’t be ruled out. However, as Bitcoin shows promising potential, analysts have pointed to the new Bitcoin-themed meme coin, BTC Bull Token, as an alternative for those seeking to maximize their gains.
Viral Presale $BTCBULL Raises $7.3M as Analyst Forecasts 10X ROI
What happens when you pay a meme coin community Bitcoin rewards if they don’t sell? It has never happened, so don’t know the answer yet. But we’re about to find out.
BTC Bull Token is a Bitcoin-themed meme coin that will airdrop its holders real Bitcoin at key price milestones.
The first airdrop will occur when Bitcoin hits $150,000, and another will follow at $200,000. There’ll also be a $BTCBULL airdrop when Bitcoin reaches $250,000.
This airdrop mechanism directly ties BTC Bull Token to Bitcoin’s performance. And not only that, but it also creates an environment in which there will be minimal willing sellers.
As such, incoming demand will be concentrated in a small pool of tokens, which could cause the $BTCBULL price to skyrocket.
Analyst Jacob Bury recently said it could give 10x gains and that it might even be the best cryptocurrency to buy now.
The project is currently undergoing a presale. It has raised $7.3 million to date, demonstrating strong market appeal.
However, the presale will end in just six days, leaving investors with limited time to secure the current fixed and discounted price.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.
