ESPN claims UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier is a paper champion.
Recently, ESPN released an article talking about the current state of the UFC one year after the promotion was sold for over $1 billion to WME-IMG.
In the article, the writer critiques some of the UFC’s current champions and claims the current light heavyweight champion is just a paper champion.
“That doesn’t include a less-than-marketable Stipe Miocic as a heavyweight champ and a paper champ in light heavyweight title holder Daniel Cormier, who had to wait a year for his archrival Jon Jones’ drug suspension to end.”
The reason Cormier is referred to as a paper champion is because he never won the title from former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
Cormier won the UFC title by defeating Anthony Johnson in 2015. Jones was originally scheduled to defend his title against Johnson, but he was stripped of his title after being involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Cormier is now scheduled to defend his championship against Jones in the main event of UFC 214 on July 29.
