Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Maybe there’s something in the Australian air.

A little less than eight years after Holly Holm shocked Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Sean Strickland authored an upset of similar proportions at UFC 293 in Sydney, as he outworked Israel Adesanya over the course of five rounds to become the promotion’s unlikely middleweight champion. Strickland, who was viewed merely as a filler opponent for Adesanya because Dricus Du Plessis was unable to compete, showed just how unpredictable MMA can be at its best. As a result, Strickland does his patented “Man Dance” to the top of the UFC’s middleweight division — though there are probably more than a few contenders who believe they can make it a short reign at the top for the Xtreme Couture representative. As for the Sherdog rankings, Strickland’s knockout loss to Alex Pereira in July 2022 makes things a bit more tricky. Though it appears “Poatan” is going to remain at 205 pounds for the time being, recent wins over Strickland and Adesanya allow him to ascend to the top spot at middleweight — at least until his rankings eligibility expires.

Meanwhile, Alexander Volkov was absolutely dominant in the UFC 293 co-main event, as he outclassed Tai Tuivasa on the feet before becoming the third fighter in promotion history to win via Ezekiel choke at the 4:37 mark of Round 2. The Russian has won his last three outings, but due to head-to-head losses against the likes of Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes, cannot advance any further in the heavyweight rankings. On the heels of three consecutive defeats, Tuivasa falls to No. 10 in the poll.

Elsewhere, Manel Kape made the most of a difficult situation, as he outpointed replacement foe Felipe dos Santos in a flyweight main card bout at UFC 293. Kape, who was originally supposed to face top contender Kai Kara-France at the event, has won four straight contests at 125 pounds. He climbs two spots to No. 9 in the latest divisional rankings.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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