Apr 24, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; YouTube star Jake Paul is confronted by UFC ringside announcer Daniel Cormier before Anthony Smith (Red Gloves) fights Jimmy Crute (Blue Gloves) during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

UFC legend Daniel Cormier doesn't hold back on Jake Paul's loss to Anthony Joshua

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated Dec 21, 2025 8:45 PM ET

Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier had an unsurprising reaction to Jake Paul's Round 6 KO loss to former two-time unified heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua this past Friday in Miami, FL.

Cormier, who has shifted his duties from being one of the best modern-day UFC fighters the sport has ever seen, is a color commentator for the promotion. Given that Paul vs. Joshua aired on Netflix, Cormier was not commentating but still gave his two cents in a recent YouTube upload about Paul's first loss since 2023.

"That right hand, oh my God. He took all of that right hand. You could see in his face, he was like, 'Okay, now I understand boxing.' Now I understand, like at its worst, what boxing can be, because he got hit clean by one of the biggest punchers," Cormier said.

Cormier refuses to believe the narrative Paul isn't s boxer. Rather, the Ohio-native simply isn't on the level of Joshua or another multiple-time world champion. At least not yet.

Daniel Cormier Lays Into Paul vs. Joshua

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"I've said this time and time again, when you have resources, when you can spend a million dollars a year on training camps, housing, food, coaches, this is not recreational anymore," Cormier said. "He's a boxer. He's just not a boxer at that level."

Cormier said he didn't really have advice for Paul moving forward, except maybe doing self-reflection to make sure his next move is well-calculated as his career continues to grow. Simply put, the odds were stacked against Paul no matter what.

"He was representing boxing so they wanted him to get the job done. First and foremost, you can't lose to a guy that's perceived to be a YouTuber. Even though today, Jake Paul is more boxer than YouTuber," Cormier said.

The fight marked the first time Paul had been knocked out in his career, as Joshua was making his return to the ring for the first time since a Sept. 2024 KO loss to Daniel Dubois. Paul suffered a broken jaw in the loss, as X-ray photos in the hours after the fight revealed his jaw had been broken in two places.

Daniel Cormier Was Unfazed By Joshua's KO vs. Paul

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"Whoever believed that Jake Paul was going to win, that was an absolute fairytale," Cormier said. "There was never a world in which Jake Paul was going to beat Anthony Joshua. It was always a matter of how the fight would end."

In a nutshell, Cormier was not thrilled with the fight as was most of the combat sports community. Whether those types of fights continue to occur remains to be seen, but, Paul will have to reassess where his career will take him next.