Conor McGregor’s rise through the UFC has frequently been met with derision, mainly due to the rapid ascension his perceived golden-child status has gotten him.

His career followed a standard and acceptable trajectory through his first four UFC fights, as he took gradual steps up in competition. This was until his January bout against Dennis Siver, which was by all accounts was a step down; it appeared he was being protected by UFC officials, his record being kept clean en route to a clash with champion Jose Aldo.

The fight eschewed standard sporting protocol; it felt a bit too much like the business side getting in the way of actual competition. A fight with someone a rung below Aldo, yet a notch above McGregor’s previous opponent, Dustin Poirier, seemed in order, yet instead we were given what was at best a lateral move.

The NFL doesn’t hand a favored team a seemingly random, lesser opponent in a Conference Championship Game in order to ensure a Super Bowl appearance. The teams settle the matter themselves based on a logical tournament structure, which is what fans wanted to see with McGregor.

A tilt against someone along the lines of Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Lamas or Cub Swanson seemed most appropriate. These were men who, besides Swanson, had recently fought Aldo and lost, and were therefore able to provide a litmus test as to McGregor’s title-bout readiness/worthiness.

Bouts with the likes of Mendes, Edgar or Lamas would also have answered questions regarding McGregor’s ability to handle fighters with wrestling backgrounds, while a matchup with Swanson would realistically have been the most pertinent title-eliminator fight.

Of course, history forged its own path. McGregor defeated Siver and was announced as Aldo’s next opponent, the date set for July 11.

Once all was settled, and despite the apparent—to use a pro wrestling term—hot-shotting of McGregor, McGregor vs. Aldo became a highly anticipated fight. Many tickets were bought and travel arrangements made, even more pay-per-views set to be ordered. Even if he hadn’t “earned” it in the traditional sense, people wanted to see McGregor fight Aldo; UFC 189 was set to be the event of the year.

Given Aldo’s history of pulling out of fights with injuries, many feared that the clash would not actually take place, at least not in July. When these misgivings became reality following Aldo breaking a rib, Mendes was announced as McGregor’s replacement opponent.

The occurrence could only be described as a letdown. Although fans previously wanted McGregor to fight Mendes or someone of his ilk, following the hype surrounding the supposed-to-have-been title fight between McGregor and Aldo, enthusiasm had nowhere go but down.

The fight we wanted in the first place is happening, yet can only be seen as a disappointment considering the buzz generated for the bout we hadn’t believed was just.

Hopefully the irony is obvious here.

The UFC rocketed its guy to the top, foregoing conventional sporting etiquette in the process, and in a sense has been punished by the athletic gods, fate, luck, universal randomness, or whatever one wants to term it.

Regardless of the initial dismay of McGregor vs. Mendes, it is a big fight. Two top-level mixed martial artists will collide with a championship fight against Aldo promised to the winner (and an interim belt, though it’s unclear if anyone really cares about that). The matchup will also provide an answer to the biggest question surrounding McGregor, that of his ability to battle a wrestling-based opponent.

This still is an exciting fight, although the encircling zeal surely would have been more fevered had it been made in the first place.

Whether or not the UFC is being chastened by the fates, we are still getting a fitting duel, one that will tell us everything we need to know about Conor McGregor.

We’ll finally learn how well he deals with a wrestler, and more importantly, if he belongs in this echelon altogether.

Because if he can’t beat Mendes, perhaps he never should have been paired with Aldo to begin with.