Jones needs to end the heavyweight division and call Aspinall into the ring if he wins....

[Ares Black]

Wait, you just told me you weren't using some weird, idiosyncratic definition! Yet you are.

There is no clear definition. It is essentially a synonym for an illegitimate champion.

 

[Captain Herb]

But a champion is paper if they haven't beaten the "actual" champion. Jon is paper for having never beat Franci$, so Tom will be double paper for having never fought Franci$ or Jon.

Unless you have some weird, obscure definition of "paper champ" that I'm unaware of?

You can't be a "double paper champion" dummy. You either got your belt by beating the previous champ or you didn't although I'd say Jones' paper belt is worse to a degree than Tom's would be because he had 3 years to fight the champ but actually waited for the champ to leave the promotion. He had an opportunity to be a legit champ but turned it down. Tom will never be given that opportunity even though he would fight anyone for it.

 

[Sms_productions713]

Cos Jones isnt a paper champion

Heavyweight yes, but jones doesnt need the belt anymore

Jones is already a paper champ, he beat a guy that had just lost to the actual champion to get his belt.

The only thing he could do to make his reign even more of a joke is to not fight the interim champion and unify the belts against the best HW on the planet right now in Tom Aspinall.

Thing what people are trying to do is make this HW division sound good. Its a shit division. You can beat all the pavelich and tuivasas you want, it still will be looked at as the Hw division ufc had when pride was in top

 

[FloydMayweatherMMA]

Only to throw the belt at his feet, and walk off into the sunset. Then whoever holds the belt in future, will always be a paper champion.

"Heres your worthless belt and payhetic excuse cor a heavyweight division... have fun"

Who did Jon win the belt from?

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Wait, you just told me you weren't using some weird, idiosyncratic definition! Yet you are.

But that kinda is the definition. It means the guy is champ by title only but lacks credibility, which usually comes from not beating the champ or by beating someone people don't consider a legitimate champ. If it was just 'not beating the champ' then it's everyone who is not LINEAL, which is itself a joke among fans and analysts.

If Ngannou is no longer willing to defend his belt then I don't necessarily consider any future champion automatically a paper champ.

There may be an asterisk in the record books, but if the last champion is retired or inactive there is very little someone can do about it.

The true HW champion in the UFC is the person who is willing to fight any challenger.

To me, the best definition of a paper champion is simply someone who holds a belt but is not the best fighter in their division.

If a fighter wins a vacant belt they could be considered a paper champion, but as soon as they fight the #1 contender their belt is legitimized. Jones is not doing that.

Taken to its strictest definition of who is "credible" or not, even if it's not their own fault, the inability to beat the "real" champ makes someone a paper champ. The phrase is derisive, but isn't just to hate the person because they "could have done more." Tom fits as someone who couldn't get the "legitimate" belt but is the person who is moving forward to legitimize what he carries by forging it in fire while Jon doesn't.

 

[Ares Black]

But that kinda is the definition. It means the guy is champ by title only but lacks credibility, which usually comes from not beating the champ or by beating someone people don't consider a legitimate champ. If it was just 'not beating the champ' then it's everyone who is not LINEAL, which is itself a joke among fans and analysts.

Exactly

Taken to its strictest definition of who is "credible" or not, even if it's not their own fault, the inability to beat the "real" champ makes someone a paper champ. The phrase is derisive, but isn't just to hate the person because they "could have done more." Tom fits as someone who couldn't get the "legitimate" belt but is the person who is moving forward to legitimize what he carries by forging it in fire while Jon doesn't.

TBH I don't even consider Aspinall a champion at all right now, or Jones for that matter.

Right now Jones is the platonic ideal of a paper champion, someone who did not beat the last champion AND is not considered the top fighter in his division.

Aspinall is an "interim champion" but really he's the #1 contender.

And Stipe is just here for the paycheck.

 

[Sms_productions713]

Who did Jon win the belt from?

It doesn't matter. Jon hasnt needed the belt to make him relevant in years. Tom does need it though.

We can say he is ducking and all that, but the dumb thing is that people have been trying to convince people the hw division is actually worth a damn. With francis gone and stipe hanging on by a thread, the hw division is back where it was in the early and mid 2000's... which was dog shit

 

[Sms_productions713]

Agree

Honestly, a move like this tonight would be a bigger deal in the future than beating Tom lol

 

[Goatenstein]

After Stipe is absolutely embarrassed by Jones tonight Jake Paul will probably call him out.

 

[Oscar Madison]

So,

"Interim Aspinall" becomes just "Tom" tonight -- if either Jones or Stipe win and become the UFC Undisputed HW Champion of the World!

Oh, the drama...

 

[g*r*b]

After Stipe is absolutely embarrassed by Jones tonight Jake Paul will probably call him out.

I can't imagine that happening, Stipe is actually on quite good terms with the Paul brothers. It's the Cleveland thing, or at least Cleveland area. He was supposed to be at the Woodley fight in support of Jake, but his son decided to get born on that day so obviously he had to skip it.

 

[JKS]

He is also coming off a brutal KO loss

I disagree. He is a retired fighter who has been lured out of retirement for a paycheck.

I let the KO loss slide since Francis left the UFC.

I don’t think Stipe retired officially. He was just waiting for the right fight.

I like it!! Gonna be fun watching it

 

[orca]

people dont realize that jones has a really good chance beating the future of HW division tom
if jones did that and retired
the future for the HW division is dead

imagine a 205 lb man doing this
would people still be interested in HW?
nope
but if jon loses people will just say hes washed up
a big risk for the UFCs HW division

 

[CombatCyborg]

Just like Tom said, he'll retire Jon without fighting him. Jon better drop the belt cause Tom might have to loot it off his corpse otherwise.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

people dont realize that jones has a really good chance beating the future of HW division tom
if jones did that and retired
the future for the HW division is dead

imagine a 205 lb man doing this
would people still be interested in HW?
nope
but if jon loses people will just say hes washed up
a big risk for the UFCs HW division

Ah, so Jon is actually ducking Tom out of the goodness of his heart. Gotcha.

The UFC's worst ever division depends on Jon's charity.

 

[prikoke]

Riddick Bowe threw the WBS belt into the trash can instead of fighting Lewis, but nobody considered Lewis a paper champ after that.

 

[orca]

Ah, so Jon is actually ducking Tom out of the goodness of his heart. Gotcha.

The UFC's worst ever division depends on Jon's charity.

yep hes ducking him fightin the HW GOAT and 2 division world champ
do we all need to be a rocket scientist to figure that tom is a nobody lol

 

[SuperAlly]

Only to throw the belt at his feet, and walk off into the sunset. Then, whoever holds the belt in future, will always be a paper champion in the casuals eye's.

"Heres your worthless belt and pathetic excuse for a heavyweight division... have fun"

Do you like MMA or do you just like one MMA fighter?

 

[SuperAlly]

yep hes ducking him fightin the HW GOAT and 2 division world champ
do we all need to be a rocket scientist to figure that tom is a nobody lol

Oh, you're back to posting dumb shit on this topic. What a shame. Did you only manage one post of posting like a fully functioning adult.

Never mind.

Maybe you'll do better in 2025.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

yep hes ducking him fightin the HW GOAT and 2 division world champ
do we all need to be a rocket scientist to figure that tom is a nobody lol

HW GOAT is pretty past tense as a fighter. I didn't just said he couldn't fight Stipe, I was talking only about you him saying he shouldn't fight Tom at all. I didn't bring up Alex either, so you're projecting again.

Man, Orca never met an argument that he couldn't redefine to suit his own defense. I think it's cuz Orca never met an argument he could wrap his atrophied mind around.