Georgia man defends kale-eating title against hot dog champ

Two-time kale eating champion Gideon Oji, right, downs a container of the leafy green vegetable, while hot-dog-eating champ Joey Chestnut, left, takes a drink of water during Sunday's Kale Yeah! Competition at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, N.Y., Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017. (Samantha Janik / Major League Eating and the Independent Health Foundation via AP)

HAMBURG, N.Y. -- When it comes to chowing down on kale, Gideon Oji is once again the top dog, beating back a challenge from hot-dog-eating champ Joey Chestnut.

Oji gulped down 22 1/2 16-ounce bowls of the leafy green vegetable in eight minutes during Sunday's Kale Yeah! Competition at the Erie County Fair in New York. The kale was served raw with oil and vinegar.

The contest is billed as the world's healthiest eating competition.

Chestnut, of San Jose, California, consumed 20 kale servings. He is the reigning hot dog-eating champion at the Nathan's Famous in New York City.

Oji is Nigerian and now lives in Marrow, Georgia. He took the inaugural kale-eating title last year, consuming 25 1/2 servings.

Sunday's event was an unlikely partnership between the Independent Health Foundation and Major League Eating.