Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman envisions one particular contender posing a real threat to the reign of middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.
Du Plessis extended his rule over the 185-pound division beyond its second defense this past weekend when he headlined the UFC 312 pay-per-view alongside challenger Sean Strickland in Sydney, Australia.
13 months on from his crowning at the polarizing American's defense, the South African recorded a much more definitive victory over Strickland second time around, smashing his nose en route to a lopsided decision.
Moving forward, "Stillknocks" is widely expected to face a test from Khamzat Chimaev next. Usman, however, sees a different top contender being a problem for Du Plessis down the line.
During a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, "The Nigerian Nightmare" highlighted the talents of Nassourdine Imavov.
"A guy like Nassourdine Imavov, the way that he (Du Plessis) fought Sean Strickland last night, I don't like that fight for DDP," Usman said. "I don't like it really.
"We saw how the standup was with Israel. When you primarily just stand up with Imavov, man, he might be the sharper guy besides Israel Adesanya right now with the striking in that division. Sharp hands," Usman continued, throwing another name into the mix. "I would have to go also with Brendan Allen's got really, really good hands."
Imavov is fresh off a victory over a former adversary of Du Plessis', ex-two-time champ Israel Adesanya, whom the Frenchman knocked out in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.