Thursday's announcement that Tom Aspinall had signed a deal with Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn stunned the combat sports world.
Hearn will work with Aspinall under the new Matchroom Talent Agency banner, looking after business and commercial interests.
The move prompted a lot of questions about what it means for the UFC heavyweight champion and one of boxing's most successful promoters.
How did it happen? And what does it mean for everyone involved?
ESPN breaks down what the deal might entail and how it will all play out.
How did the deal happen?
In a word: quickly.
While they had mutual acquaintances, Aspinall had never spoken to Hearn formally, just over a week ago, on Feb, 26. That was the first time they connected and did so with a Zoom call. After a discussion about how they could work together, things moved fast.
Six days later, the UFC champion and his dad, Andy Aspinall, climbed aboard a private jet and flew to meet Hearn in person for the first time in Monte Carlo.
The next day, it was announced Aspinall was the first athlete to join Hearn's Matchroom Talent Agency, an arm of his business which had only existed for a few days.
Is Tom Aspinall moving to boxing?
No. Well, there are no plans for him to do so in the immediate future. While Aspinall is open to it one day, he is still contracted to the UFC, and his focus is on recovering from multiple eye surgeries after his last fight against Ciryl Gane in October, during which he was poked in the eyes multiple times. His intention is to defend his heavyweight title as soon as he can.
"Eyes are a little bit tricky, [they] take a little bit longer," Aspinall told media on Friday.
"So they are definitely getting better, moving in the right direction, but still, I do have to follow the doctors' orders right now and I'm still taking my time with it."
Is Eddie Hearn Aspinall's promoter?
Not as such. Hearn will act more as a manager and conceded on Friday that the specifics of his role with relation to Aspinall's moves in the UFC are yet to be worked out. Aspinall's tight-knit team, led by his father Andy, have negotiated with the UFC themselves his whole career.
There is also the issue of Hearn's relationship with Dana White, which, publicly anyway, is tense right now.
When asked by ESPN if, for example, he would be in the room with the UFC and White when discussing Aspinall's fight moves, Hearn said: "We will decide that as a team, what we think is best. If we think that's going to cause major friction, then maybe not.
"If Tom wants me to be at the table having those conversations, then yes. What we will do is, contractually, we'll be across everything, and we will make the decision from the team's perspective as to who will deal with what."
To a degree, the UFC's model means Aspinall will be required to do what they want him to in terms of who he fights and when.
Hearn will be in his corner (metaphorically) to make sure Aspinall gets a fair shake and the best deal possible.
"There is no one better at negotiating and having those conversations than me," Hearn added.
"But at the same time, we don't want to be disruptive to the progression. But we want respect at the same time."
So what else will Hearn do?
Hearn's primary focus is to essentially market Aspinall and make him as big a star as possible. That means commercial deals and personal brand awareness. Hearn has already got him his first gig: Aspinall will be a pundit for DAZN when Callum Smith fights David Morrell in Liverpool, England on April 18.
The promoter was already in full swing when talking to reporters on Friday.
"When he [Aspinall] returns, the last 24 hours has just driven his value even further. His return is going to be massive when it comes. And as an organization, they [UFC] need him," Hearn said.
"Forget he needs the UFC. He actually [doesn't] need the UFC now. But they need him because they need heavyweight stars, or stars full stop. And he's a young man that goes in there and f------ entertains."
Is this all just to annoy Dana White?
There is probably an element to that and there's no doubt the timing is sweet for Hearn with Conor Benn recently having left him to sign with White and Zuffa Boxing.
But remember, Aspinall still fights in the UFC and isn't going anywhere soon.
Most importantly, Aspinall can use Hearn and his platform and contacts to build his profile, bring in new business by attracting brand deals and ultimately, make more money.
"It's an opportunity for a lot of noise," Hearn said. "When I first approached Tom, we were pretty honest about it. He went, 'Oh, am I going to be a little bit of a pawn in the cold war?'
"I said, 'No, But it's going to be fun.'"
