In late March 2016, the UFC was riding as high as it ever had. Coming off a hastily constructed event starring Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz that organically generated a box-office and pay-per-view bonanza, another boon came when, after years of stalling, the New York State Assembly finally passed a bill that legalized mixed martial arts.
At UFC headquarters in Las Vegas, the development was viewed as such a watershed moment that company CEO Lorenzo Fertitta led the entire office in a champagne toast.
But what seemed like the beginning of a new cycle of prosperity quickly spiraled into something else entirely.