We could sit here and debate all day whether or not Alex Pereira’s unprecedented title defense schedule finally caught up with him, whether Ankalaev neutralized him with even the mere threat of the takedown and some solid striking tactics, or if maybe this is the moment where a lifetime of combat sports competition is finally reaching an inevitable decline.

Only Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) knows the real answer about why he performed is a largely uncharacteristic manner against Ankalaev, but a rematch would certainly provide perspective.

To be clear: It’s not as though Pereira humiliated himself. There’s a sizeable camp of people out there who believe Pereira won Round 1, Round 3 and Round 5 against Ankalaev and should’ve kept his belt, but none of the judges agreed or scored it as such.

It’s a tricky one. Pereira didn’t look bad, per se, but he was certainly lacking an edge, and it cost him. That’s what makes the sport what it is, though. Stepping into that octagon in peak form over and over and over again is a near-impossible task, and that’s why it’s such a challenge for fighters to hold the belt for extended periods.

Pereira will have a chance to right this wrong in an expected immediate rematch. Will he, though? Pereira has speed-walked his entire UFC career and done things in a short window that others could only dream of. He will be 38 the next time he fights, though, and now Ankalaev has the confidence as well as the experience of 25 minutes in the octagon to make his own adjustments for the sequel.

“Poatan” will either get the belt back and add another layer to his fascinating legacy in the UFC, or he takes another loss to Ankalaev and the questions about whether his extremely special window of success has reached its end.

Nevertheless, Pereira has nothing to hang his head about. He’s overcome some hard moments in his life to become a massive star, and as Pereira has said many times before, he already won in life long ago.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.