UFC 328 sees rare double occurrence: fighters with 8+ takedowns lose title fights

At UFC 328, a rare statistical anomaly occurred twice as fighters who secured 8 or more takedowns in title fights both lost their bouts. Historically, UFC fighters who land 5 or more takedowns in championship fights win 81.08 percent of the time, while those landing 7 or more win 83 percent of the time. Khamzat Chimaev landed 9 takedowns while Tatsuro Taira landed 8, with Taira also controlling his opponent for nearly 11 minutes, yet both were defeated. The post analyzes how even elite wrestlers maintain roughly 80 percent win probability, but factors like weight cutting, injuries, or travel can dramatically reduce those odds against skilled well-rounded strikers. The analysis suggests this highlights the importance of being a complete mixed martial artist rather than relying primarily on wrestling.