And you are why every other sport including mma fans (that arent idiots) think we have the worst fan base for anything. People are fucking stupid. Case in point. Nothing suggests either Asspinal or Pussivich can beat either Jones or Stipe. Yet you with a 2007 account think when it comes to mma things are written in stone. Fucking idiot.It's really quite simple:
1. Pavlovich most likely would have beaten Stipe.
2. Jones is only at HW for specific (i.e., easier) fights. He wants to beat Stipe and then ride off into the sunset proclaiming himself the GOAT. He would have turned down a Pavlovich unification fight.
3. Therefore, the UFC wouldn't have gotten one last payday off of Jones. This way, they theoretically get BOTH the Jones-Stipe charade and the Pavlovich-Aspinall title fight.
Dana says he didn't offer it. Stipe says he wasn't asked. Aspinall says "the UFC" told him Stipe was.He did. stipe turned it down.
Stipe is only not retired because of Jones. There is NOTHING that makes me believe he got his old ass off the couch for any other reason. Being that the case as long as Jones next fight is Stipe the UFC owes him nothing. It may even be wise to STFU on his part because if he made enough squawk and they gave him a young lion that beat his ass it would be hilarious on so many levels but bad for business for the UFC and StipeI mean he obviously spent a lot of time and money to prepare for the fight.. he deserves something for that, maybe not his full contract but SOMETHING.
People voting no are so fucking weird.
Stipe is only not retired because of Jones. There is NOTHING that makes me believe he got his old ass off the couch for any other reason. Being that the case as long as Jones next fight is Stipe the UFC owes him nothing. It may even be wise to STFU on his part because if he made enough squawk and they gave him a young lion that beat his ass it would be hilarious on so many levels but bad for business for the UFC and Stipe
I am pretty sure Dana knows Jon isn't coming back to fight anyone other than Stipe. If Stipe loses to Pav or Aspinall then there is no Jon fight IMO. People keep talking about Stipe being brought out of retirement to fight Jon and it is truly hilarious. Jon is the one who came out of a 3 year retirement to win a vacant belt and he won't defend it against anyone but Stipe. Jon was all over shit talking anyone who utters his name in the past. Izzy, Islam over the P4P etc etc but has he ever spoken Aspinall's name? Tom has openly said it would be an honor to fight Jon but he knows Jon will never fight him.That I understand but Jones v Stipe/Interim Winner makes more money than any (realistically) possible fight, not involving Conor. What he loses in paying Stipe, is peanuts compared to that potential matchup.
I’m also assuming that Dana figures Jones to win, so the risk of Francis cheapening the HW belt is small. I know it’s MMA math, but Jones’s victory over Gane (compared to Francis’s) has mostly validated the current HW belt.
It’s rare that I say this when it comes to the business, bottom line; but this is a terrible decision by Dana. Jones vs Stipe delayed wont crack Jones’s top 3 PPVs. Jones vs an Interim winner (who has to go through a familiar name in Stipe or is Stipe) would Jones’s biggest PPV yet. His status as a HW is both highly marketable and mysterious, because of the dominant, yet short victory over Gane.