Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Sean Strickland isn’t just a five-round fighter.

The former King of the Cage champion got his work done in less than half the usual time at UFC on ESPN 48, vanquishing Abusupiyan Magomedov via second-round technical knockout in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Strickland has been a main event athlete in five of his last six appearances, and he’s now 4-1 in those bouts. That includes back-to-back wins over Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov to kick off his 2023 campaign, which is enough to propel him to the No. 7 spot in Sherdog’s latest middleweight poll.

Elsewhere, Grant Dawson extended his unbeaten streak to nine with a dominant victory over the No. 12-ranked Damir Ismagulov in the lightweight co-main event. Has Dawson been overlooked during his UFC tenure? It’s certainly possible, but his days of flying under the radar are no longer, as he climbs to No. 10 at 155 pounds. Meanwhile, with his next bout already booked at 170 pounds, former 155-pound king Rafael dos Anjos exits the lightweight poll.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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