Presumably Jones was the biggest payday of his career.
Hard to say no to that.
They've been trying to make that match up since like july 2022.
Ariel reported negotiations were all but finished at the time but Stipe refused the fight because he wasn't getting enough of a pay bump.
After Jones won the title though and he was the only big name left in the division, they offered him a big pay day.
He walked away a few million richer.
Sucks he had to take that much damage, but happy he can walk away, content with his retirement and enough money to last a lifetime.