Kamaru Usman

"Nigerian Nightmare". That's what they call Kamaru Usman, and is ranked #9 at UFC welterweight — close enough to smell the title, dangerous enough that champions don't say his name too loudly.

The game is built on grappling: 2.8 takedowns per 15 minutes, and opponents spend rounds defending instead of fighting. 1 submission wins say what happens when the defense slips. Add a 76" reach, and the puzzle gets harder still.

He's coming off a loss to Dricus Du Plessis. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

At 39, the window is what it is — which tends to make every remaining fight more honest, and more dangerous.