One of the most notable competitive eaters will be absent from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July.

Joey Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the competition, won't be allowed to compete in this year's event due to a partnership with Impossible Foods, a plant-based food company that Nathan's views as a competitor.

Speaking on Audacy's KROQ Klein/Ally Show, Chestnut opened up about MLE's decision to bar him from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest. He said that Nathan's "exaggerated" his relationship with Impossible and that MLE set a new standard that it hadn't enforced before.

"Impossible [Foods] makes delicious chicken nuggets. They don't even sell hot dogs, I've never even seen them in the grocery store. So they exaggerated my relationship with them... It felt [Major League Eating (MLE)] were moving a goalpost. Looking at my contacts, I've been allowed to work with meat companies. They had a list of every single company that I couldn't work with, and Impossible [Foods] wasn't on the list."

Chestnut said that he tried to come to an agreement with MLE and Nathan's, but the side wouldn't budge if he continued his partnership with Impossible Foods.

"They're stubborn," Chestnut said. "I like to get things done and it's really a bummer they weren't willing to work on it."

He also said there is room for him to return to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest next year, but it would come with some caveats. Chestnut said that to return to MLE, he would have to end his deal with Impossible, sign a contract with Nathan's and agree to "never work with" Impossible again.

While Chestnut won't compete at the Nathan's contest this year, he still plans to continue the tradition of scarfing down hot dogs on the Fourth of July. He will travel to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, next week to compete against U.S. soldiers as a part of the annual "Pop Goes the Fort" celebration.

After that, he will begin preparing for one of the most anticipated competitive eating battles in the sport's history.

Shortly after it was revealed he wouldn't be allowed to compete in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Netflix announced a hot dog eating competition between him and Takeru Kobayashi, another dominant competitive eater.

A rivalry simmering for 15 years. <br><br>CHESTNUT VS. KOBAYASHI: UNFINISHED BEEF — the ultimate hot dog eating competition — will air LIVE on Netflix, Monday, September 2. <a href="https://t.co/MeVQP1lQuS">pic.twitter.com/MeVQP1lQuS</a>

The event will take place on Sept. 2, and Chestnut hinted that it could take place in Los Angeles or Las Vegas, though the full details have not been announced yet.

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