Strickland debuts at No. 8 on UFC pound-for-pound list
After pulling off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland is now considered a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion.
Strickland, who stunned Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision at UFC 293 last weekend to capture the title, landed at No. 8 in his debut on the men's pound-for-pound rankings. Adesanya, the former two-time champion, fell four spots to No. 9.
Sean Strickland enters the P4P rankings at #8 pic.twitter.com/Z9x43Q5mRp
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 12, 2023
Strickland sits just behind Sean O'Malley, who won the UFC bantamweight title less than a month ago. "Tarzan" is ranked above the likes of Alexandre Pantoja, Max Holloway, Jiri Prochazka, and Aljamain Sterling.
Strickland was No. 5 in the middleweight division before beating Adesanya. He is 3-2 in his last five Octagon appearances and only received a title shot because former No. 1 contender Dricus Du Plessis was unable to challenge Adesanya at UFC 293 due to an injury.
The 32-year-old Strickland has been in the UFC since 2014. He competed as a welterweight until he moved up to 185 pounds in 2020.