Not wanting to compete with the NBA is my guessWhy such an early start?
I think it's the opposite.Both Stipe and Gane should wait to see what happens with Lewis v. Ngannou. The UFC is going to want options after that fight to use against Jones like they did with Lewis here and either Gane or Stipe is a good choice for next title shot.
I think it's the opposite.
As it stands now, the UFC doesn't really have any other options after Lewis. Stipe needs a win after getting steamrolled the way he did and Gane has a couple nice wins in a row, but hasn't really made a statement. They have options, I guess, but none of them are particularly strong options.
If they were to fight each other, then you could say "OK, Stipe is back" or "Damn, Gane is for real." Then they would have 1 really strong option to play Jones off of.