There has been plenty of lead-up to this weekend's Middleweight championship fight. Much of the foreplay and payoff for this contest will indelibly shape the face of MMA for years to come. However, there is a cold, hard and undisputed truth about what is going to occur this weekend. That truth has (unfortunately and embarrassingly) become increasingly palatable for us as consumers and fans. We should all take heed of this and welcome a moment to mull over what it means for us to live in a real world where inauthenticity is a master narrative in daily social commentary:

In a competition meant to judge and define the highest level of human performance in hand-to-hand combat - a test arguably as old as humanity itself - one man will have administered a chemical agent to artificially improve his performance.

One man, we know for sure, will have been an active and unapologetic user of steroids.