The Chama chants that had famously marked Alex Pereira’s dominant run as the UFC’s 205lbs kingpin have dissolved into memory. This has also left behind a vacuum filled with questions rather than answers. The light heavyweight crown sits atop a new head—Magomed Ankalaev—yet the dethroned champion’s words linger like smoke after a firefight. “Putting me up against the cage, he didn’t really do anything,” Pereira proclaimed after UFC 313, his voice carrying the casual dismissal of a man who never truly felt endangered.

But beneath this proclamation lies a cosmic riddle. Was the Dagestani wrestling savant suddenly rendered powerless by some overnight evolution in Pereira’s takedown defense? Or because ‘Poatan’ had packed on a little extra insurance weight? Maybe gravity did more work than Ankalaev in this fight. This is what Henry Cejudo seems to think so. Speaking on Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman, the Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champ suggested Pereira’s lifestyle may finally be catching up with him.

“Not taking anything from Ankalaev, ’cause Ankalaev did beat Alex Pereira. But I will say this, I think Alex Pereira’s lifestyle is finally kind of catching up to him. It’s finally catching up to him.” Cejudo stated.

He pointed out that Pereira looked a little different, his body seemed “pudgier,” and his face “thicker” than usual heading into the fight. “The travel, the chama, the lot of the skits, and a lot of stuff that he’s actually doing, it’s really not doing him any service,” he added.

It is no secret that the Brazilian was quite busy ahead of what could have been his fourth title defense. From cornering his teammate Sean Strickland at UFC 312 all the way in Australia to extending his stay in the land down under to cherish the finer things in life. Everything is well documented on the former champ’s social media handles. Moreover, Daniel Cormier had thrown a word of caution before Pereira’s latest outing.

“This dude (Pereira) was seen in Australia last week still, and he was shaking the hand of Drake as Drake went on stage for his concert,” Cormier said on the Good Guy/Bad Guy show with Chael Sonnen. “…What is Pereira still doing in Australia? He fights in two weeks! Ankalaev’s already here, he’s in Vegas, I ran into him at the UFC PI last week. He is honestly so locked in, ready to win this fight against Alex Pereira.”

The former double champ added, “I got back from Australia, and all last week I’m up at 3 o’clock in the morning. I don’t care that Pereira’s got weeks to get ready, he’s going to be ready, he’s going to be prepared, but even those two to three extra days when he’s adjusting his clock to get back on schedule in Connecticut, then once he’s done in Connecticut to fly to Vegas the week of the fight, get adjusted to two more hours, he’s going to have to deal with all that travel  and all that difference in time.”

But was it really the Brazilian’s decline, or was it just Magomed Ankalaev rising to the occasion? The Dagestani has been grinding for this moment, weathering an exhausting stretch of wins to finally earn his title shot. While some fans have slammed his performance for being underwhelming, history will remember the result, not the aesthetics. The new champion neutralized ‘Poatan’, controlled the exchanges, and left no doubt on the judges’ scorecards.

The Dagestani fighter has now joined the likes of Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Kamaru Usman, and Islam Makhachev in the elite club of fighters who have gone 14 or more fights unbeaten in the UFC. Like it or not, it’s Big Ank Time now! Pereira has built a reputation for defying expectations, moving through divisions like a force of nature. After losing his middleweight title, he immediately jumped to light heavyweight and snatched gold again. So, is history set to repeat itself? Will he take another leap to heavyweight, or is he finally running out of weight classes to escape to?

Is Alex Pereira following a dangerous pattern?

If it were up to UFC boss Dana White, a win at UFC 313 would have cemented Pereira as the top fighter in the world, surpassing the current P4P #1 Makhachev. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Brazilian walked out beltless. And now he has a decision to make. Either chase a rematch against Ankalaev or jump to heavyweight and try his luck there.

Except, even if he follows his usual pattern and moves up in weight, the ‘Bones’ dream fight is off the table. The head honcho has made it clear, that Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is the next big heavyweight fight. The former 205lbs champ is officially out of that conversation. So much for that blockbuster matchup, Pereira losing his belt made sure of that. At 37, though, it’s fair to ask, how many reinventions does Pereira have left in him before Father Time puts him in a chokehold?

We’ve seen this script before. Champions hit their peak, expand their brand, start doing everything but fighting, and suddenly, things go south. Ronda Rousey was untouchable until she became Hollywood’s next action star, then she got head-kicked into oblivion by Holly Holm. Chuck Liddell was knocking out everyone until he decided late-night partying was part of the training regimen. Turns out, it wasn’t.

Could Pereira be heading down the same road? No, he’s not filming movies or clubbing in Vegas, but constant travel, social media skits, and celebrity status can have the same effect. The man has done more in three years than most fighters do in a lifetime, but at what cost? If he keeps this pace, his next opponent might not be Ankalaev, it might be burnout.

For now, Pereira insists he wants a rematch. Ankalaev, now armed with 25 minutes of experience against him, will be even tougher the second time around. If Pereira loses again, the conversation shifts from a minor setback to a full-fledged uh oh.

No matter what, Pereira has already won at life. He’s risen from hardship to UFC superstardom, and that legacy is set in stone. But if he wants to keep adding to it, he might need to reassess whether his current approach is sustainable. The clock is ticking.

What do you think? Is this just a bump in the road for Pereira, or are we witnessing the beginning of the end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!