USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, July 4: Sean Strickland moves up

Sean Strickland has won back-to-back main events, and continues to climb in the middleweight rankings.

UFC middleweight contender [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is getting closer to the top of the division.

At UFC on ESPN 48, Strickland overcame adversity in the first round to finish Abus Magomedov with a flurry of punches in the second frame. The win was Strickland’s second main event victory of the year, after kicking off 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Nassourdine Imavov.

Entering the week at No. 7, Strickland now settles in at No. 6, overtaking Marvin Vettori.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.