Eddie Alvarez calls Khabib Nurmagomedov a “Paper Champ”

Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t beat the champion to become the champion.  He didn’t even beat the number one contender.  Looking at his record, he actually only faced one top 10 ranked fighter in the process of becoming the champion.  It is because of these reasons that Eddie Alvarez referred to Khabib as a “Paper Champion.”

“What’s funny about this whole thing is, Khabib wasn’t a champion,” Alvarez told MMAJunkie. “Now he’s the champion after beating no. 11. Let’s just get that out in the open. He says, ‘paper champion, who’s fake champion, who’s real champion?’ You beat no. 11, and now you’re champion. So think on that. Pray on that during Ramadan. No. 11, and now you’re champion.”

One of the problems with the ranking system is that it is currently done in confidentiality and there is no reporting on the actual votes.  The ‘media members’ that vote are not always the most qualified and often seem to be influenced by the latest ‘hype’ surrounding making a fight happen.  There isn’t a true qualified independent ranking system.

Do you agree with Eddie Alvarez that Khabib is the Paper Champ? Would you like to see Khabib fight Eddie Alvarez or would you rather see him face Tony Ferguson or Conor McGregor in an attempt to unify his belts with the lineage of theirs?