The older I get, the more I've started siding with Dana, LOL.
Stipe was a whiny bitch after he lost to Cormier and Cormier got Lesnar. Then Stipe was bitching about how the UFC treated him, and Dana was like 'What? We've treated him great?? He lost...that's the issue."
I have family who are firefighters and make that hefty 24hr shift money. And I guess I get why Stipe doesn't want to give it up? But man...he's never felt like he's dedicated his life, his career, to MMA. And I'm guessing that has come across to fans and the UFC, alike. Stipe treats it like a part time job. He doesn't even put his heart into promotional work. I'm not saying he needs to pretend he's Conor or anything, but God damn, dude comes across like an overcooked potato.
At this point, both Stipe and JJ need to retire. Stipe is just showing up for the OCCASIONAL paycheck, and JJ is just looking to 'cement his legacy' and is just fucking around at the moment. But he wants to fight Pereira too? I can't even wrap my head around that one.
I feel for Aspinall, but he probably just needs to ride it out. It's not like the HW division is deep or anything...just keep collecting the paychecks. He might even just find himself as the champion some day, without even having to fight the Champion! (LOL)