UFC 328 sees rare losses despite fighters landing 8+ takedowns in title bouts

At UFC 328, a rare statistical anomaly occurred twice when fighters who completed eight or more takedowns in championship fights still lost their bouts. Historically, UFC fighters who land five or more takedowns in title fights win 81.08 percent of the time, and those landing seven or more win 83 percent of the time. Khamzat Chimaev landed nine takedowns against Sean Strickland and Tatsuro Taira landed eight against Kai Asakura, yet both lost their championship fights. The analysis suggests this demonstrates that elite wrestling alone is not sufficient without total all-around skills, as factors like weight cutting, injuries, cardio, and striking proficiency significantly impact outcomes against well-rounded strikers.