Had Conor McGregor won his main event fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday, this article might well be about him challenging the UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, in the near future. But that's not what happened.
Instead, the sport's biggest star was brutalized and ultimately beaten when his tibia broke in the waning moments of the first round. It was a chaotic scene, comparable to the death of a star in the celestial sense, except that it was pain, anger and confusion that burst forth instead of superheated matter.
"You've got to be kidding me," UFC commentator Joe Rogan said as the replay showed McGregor's ruined left ankle folding under the weight of a backward step.