With the UFC being such a minefield in the fighting landscape, there’s something about Alex Pereira’s strike that qualifies in terms of cherishable moments. It’s more theatrical than most, of course. There’s that ritualistic, slowly approaching warrior step he takes as he enters the arena, harking back to ancient Paxató traditions that we Westerners can only guess at. There’s the arrow he fires at the poor fool waiting for him in the cage, followed by the primal scream. And of course the piercing look with stone eyes, his dark eyes two small windows into the abyss.

That’s all very poetic, but the truth is that the things he does just can’t last long. It’s just not possible. It’s a beautifully volatile thing for a 37-year-old segue fighter who came as a backstory B-side to Israel Adesanya to give us these moments. There is no way he can handle the escalation of stakes with carefree ease. Winning titles. Defending it. That he can walk into any event, whether it’s at Madison Square Garden or a gala event like UFC 300, and ignite a fanbase with a collective sense of awe.

He did it again at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, waiting as long as it took for Khalil Rountree’s headhunting techniques. Even his patience tells the story of a hunter. The force coming his way only increased his sense of danger, but the sniper in him never stayed. Peirera used the space between them as a force shield in which to work his magic, assessing, deflecting, covering, stalking and finally striking. He punished the aggression and taxed the big shots coming his way. The jab became the most vicious rebuke in the game. The leg kicks also took their toll and caused the kill.

And the murder? It is a haze of violence that ultimately created a Rountree hero and his ability to endure punishment. Towards the end, which took place in the waning moments of the fourth round, Rountree waved at ghosts. After losing his resources, he still swung punches at what happened to him. The last actions of his hopes and ultimately his delusions. A wilderness. It felt heroic because Pereira had let the muscular man exhaust himself before arriving as the blood-dipped tide, leaving only his survival instincts. Ultimately, Pereira brought out that toughness as part of the story.

That’s what greats do.

And it taps into Pereira’s lore, which was sparked by Adesanya’s rivalry and has now become the biggest show in the UFC. Did Rountree deserve the title fight? If we’re bickering, maybe not. Magomed Ankalaev probably earned more. But that’s what it is us bicker. We can wring our hands all we want, but Pereira simply says yes to whoever the UFC presents to him, and then treats the signed man to the same rude treatments. Rountree joined those who tried, Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill and Jan Blachowicz. That’s a killer fight, and only Blachowicz was strong enough to close the distance. Otherwise there would be no need for judges.

Or actually something else. UFC 307 had its moments, but for the most part it was on its way to being a lackluster affair. Forget the “horrible” judging and fights that yielded nothing; Pereira has a habit of making a lasting impression and stealing the show. He did it at UFC 295. He did it at UFC 303. He does it because he has no other way.

No, it can’t last. That won’t happen.

That is the drug of fighting, that what seems impossible actually is. Yet the sense of ephemerality is thrillingly drowned out by the frequency in which he appears. Who fights so well and so much? At some point Pereira will lose, perhaps in his next fight against Ankalaev. Maybe against Tom Aspinall, or – imagine – Jon Jones. But that certainty only carries over into the high. That Pereira defies all conventions and trends, and fends off arrow by arrow what must be inevitable, does not make sense, nor does it have to.

What is forever is what he has already done. Since losing his middleweight title in early 2023, Pereira is 5-0 as a light heavyweight. During that same period, Jones and the company’s biggest draw, Conor McGregor, have fought a total of zero times between them. In fact, Pereira has replaced each of them in events they were signed up to headline. Pereira is the savior of the UFC of 2024. Fearless and with impossible shoes to fill, he’s happy to go without when necessary. Even with Dana White watching over Jones as the GOAT and pound-for-pound king, his inactivity has turned him into a cold campfire.

Meanwhile, Pereira keeps rolling.

In this game the word “warrior” is thrown around so much that the meaning is lost. But what do we mean by warrior? Because it appears that Alex Pereira – in his incredible run of three title defenses this year alone, along with the fearlessness of never saying no – has the essential ingredients. That strike alone is so intense that you wonder how long it can last.

Maybe the beauty is in not knowing, but just enjoying it while it’s happening.