How Is UFC Takedown Defense Calculated? TD Def Explained

Quick answer

UFC takedown defense is the percentage of an opponent’s recorded takedown attempts that a fighter stops. The basic formula is: (opponent attempts minus opponent takedowns landed) divided by opponent attempts, multiplied by 100. If opponents complete 5 of 25 attempts, the fighter has stopped 20, giving them 80% takedown defense.

The number is useful, but it does not measure every part of defensive wrestling. It misses how long a fighter spends pinned to the fence, how quickly they stand after a takedown, and whether defending repeated shots drains their gas tank.

Data snapshot: UFC Stats career pages report TD Def as a rounded percentage. The UFC Record Book requires at least five UFC fights and 20 opponent takedown attempts for its takedown-defense leaderboard; figures and rankings checked July 23, 2026.

How is UFC takedown defense calculated?

The calculation uses two opponent totals:

• Takedown attempts faced: every attempt credited to the opponent.
• Takedowns conceded: attempts recorded as successfully landed.

The stopped attempts are the difference between those numbers. Divide that difference by total attempts faced.

In compact form:

TD Def = (opponent TD attempts − opponent TD landed) ÷ opponent TD attempts × 100

A fighter who has faced no recorded attempt does not have a meaningful 100% defense rate. There was nothing to defend. Treating zero attempts as perfect defense would reward an empty sample.

UFC Stats displays the result as a whole percentage on fighter pages. That rounding can hide small differences. A displayed 90% might represent a value just below or above 90 before rounding.

Why should you sum attempts instead of averaging fight percentages?

Career takedown defense must be weighted by attempts. A simple average gives a quiet fight the same influence as a wrestling-heavy fight.

Suppose a fighter stops 7 of 10 attempts in one bout. Their defense for that fight is 70%. In another bout, they stop 1 of 2, or 50%. Averaging 70% and 50% produces 60%.

That answer is wrong for the combined record. Across both fights, the fighter stopped 8 of 12 attempts. Their true combined defense is 66.7%.

This distinction matters when comparing fighters. One athlete may have faced 100 career attempts. Another may show a better percentage after only 22. The UFC Record Book’s minimum of 20 opponent attempts removes the thinnest samples, but 20 is still not much.

What counts as a takedown attempt in UFC Stats?

The public data records attempts and completed takedowns, but the live action is less tidy than the columns suggest. A clear shot that is stuffed can become an attempt. A completed action that brings the opponent down can become a landed takedown. Scrambles, mat returns and fence sequences require a human judgment about where one attempt ends and another begins.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fight with Abel Trujillo shows why the counting unit matters. The UFC Record Book credits Nurmagomedov with 21 takedowns in that three-round fight. That does not mean 21 long, separate periods of top control. Several completions can happen inside one sustained grappling sequence after an opponent stands and is returned to the mat.

The old FightMetric leaderboard described takedown defense through opponent attempts and successes, which remains the logic behind the public percentage. Still, the stat is a coded description of action, not a sensor reading.

That creates two practical limits:

• Different-looking sequences can receive the same one-attempt result.
• Similar fence or mat-return sequences can depend on the scorer’s interpretation.

These issues usually matter less across large samples. They can dominate a one-fight sample.

What does a high TD Def percentage actually tell you?

It tells you that recorded opponents have completed a small share of their takedown attempts. That is evidence of successful first-line defense.

It does not tell you why. A fighter may sprawl well, win underhooks, use the fence, threaten submissions, scramble immediately, or control distance so opponents shoot from poor positions. Those are different skills hidden inside one percentage.

The UFC Record Book illustrated the range on July 23, 2026. Ilia Topuria appeared at 95.2% and Jon Jones at 95.0%, with the leaderboard applying its five-fight and 20-attempt minimum. Those rates are impressive, but they do not make the fighters interchangeable. Topuria and Jones defend different opponents, body types, divisions and tactical situations.

Khabib Nurmagomedov offers the reverse lesson. His reputation rests mainly on offensive wrestling and top control. His UFC Stats page also reports strong defensive numbers, but TD Def alone cannot describe the pressure, chain wrestling and control that made his game work.

Charles Oliveira and Nate Diaz show another trap. Both are dangerous submission fighters, so opponents may accept or avoid grappling for reasons the percentage cannot capture. Conceding a takedown is not always the same tactical failure for every fighter.

Does takedown defense score points with UFC judges?

No. The Unified Rules describe MMA as an offense-based sport and say defensive actions do not score by themselves. Stuffing a shot can keep a fighter in position to land offense, but the defense alone is not a scoring event.

This is where viewers often mix statistics with judging. UFC Stats may credit a successful defense. A judge still assesses effective striking and effective grappling first. The fighter who stuffs three shots but lands little offense does not automatically win the round because their TD Def was 100%.

The same applies to raw takedowns. A completion has more judging value when it creates effective offense: damage, submission threats or an improved attacking position. A brief takedown followed by an immediate stand-up should not be treated like a minute of productive top control.

TD Def is therefore descriptive. It helps explain where the fight occurred. It is not a scorecard.

Why can takedown defense mislead?

Small denominators create unstable percentages

Stopping 19 of 20 attempts gives 95%. Concede one more takedown on the next attempt and the rate falls to 90.5%. With 100 attempts already faced, one new result moves the percentage far less.

Opponent quality changes the test

A 75% rate built against elite chain wrestlers may be more useful than 90% against reluctant or weak shooters. The public percentage does not adjust for opponent skill.

Attempt selection is not random

Opponents shoot more often when they believe wrestling is available. They may stop shooting against a strong defender. A feared submission game can also change whether opponents want a takedown. The fighter influences the sample they face.

Fence control and failed entries disappear

A fighter can stop every official attempt yet spend minutes trapped against the cage. Another fighter can concede one takedown, stand in five seconds, then win the round. TD Def misses both stories.

Career averages hide change

A fighter may improve their wrestling after changing camps, or decline with age and injury. One career percentage blends every phase together. Recent-fight film and round-level counts can reveal changes sooner.

How should you use TD Def in a fight prediction?

Start with the denominator. A rate based on 80 opponent attempts deserves more trust than one based on 12.

Then inspect the matchup:

1. Opponent level: Who generated those attempts, and how good were they?
2. Wrestling type: Does the next opponent use open-space shots, body locks, trips or fence chains?
3. After the takedown: Can the fighter stand, reverse or threaten submissions?
4. Cost of defense: Do repeated attempts create fatigue even when they fail?
5. Recent evidence: Does the career rate match the fighter’s last several bouts?

For a model, use opponent-adjusted takedowns conceded per attempt alongside control time, get-up ability, submission exposure and pace. Do not feed one career percentage into a prediction and call the grappling matchup solved.

A comparison tool should also show the raw counts. “90% on 100 attempts” carries more information than “90%” alone.

How solid is this data?

The formula is solid. It follows directly from opponent attempts and landed takedowns, and the UFC Record Book publishes a clear eligibility threshold.

The interpretation is less certain. UFC Stats is an event-statistics system, not a complete measure of wrestling quality. Human coding affects borderline attempts. Matchmaking determines the opponents. Career totals hide timing, opponent strength and tactical context.

Use TD Def as one clean piece of evidence. Pair it with film and other grappling data. The percentage answers a narrow question well: how often have recorded opponent attempts failed? It cannot answer the whole wrestling matchup.

FAQ

What does TD Def mean in UFC Stats?

TD Def means takedown defense percentage. It is the share of opponents’ recorded takedown attempts that did not become landed takedowns.

Is 80% takedown defense good in the UFC?

An 80% rate means opponents complete about one in five recorded attempts. That is generally strong, but judge it with the number of attempts, opponent quality and the fighter’s ability to escape after a takedown.

Can a fighter have 100% takedown defense?

Yes, if opponents attempted at least one takedown and landed none. A 100% rate over two attempts is much less reliable than 100% over 30, and zero attempts should not count as perfect defense.

Do failed takedowns help win a round?

The defender receives no direct scoring credit for defense under the Unified Rules. A stuffed attempt matters indirectly if it lets the fighter create effective striking or grappling offense.

Is takedown defense the same as getting back up?

No. Takedown defense stops the initial completion. Getting back up happens after a takedown is conceded, so a fighter can have modest TD Def but excellent recovery and scrambling.