UFC 328 sees rare double occurrence of fighters losing despite 8+ takedowns

At UFC 328, a rare statistical anomaly occurred twice when fighters who completed 8 or more takedowns in title fights still lost their bouts. Historically, UFC fighters who land 5 or more takedowns in title fights win 81.08 percent of the time, while those landing 7 or more win 83 percent of the time. Khamzat Chimaev completed 9 takedowns and Tatsuro Taira landed 8 takedowns with nearly 11 minutes of control time, yet both lost their respective championship fights. The post analyzes that while elite-level wrestlers maintain roughly 80 percent win probability, total well-rounded skill remains superior, as wrestling is highly energy-intensive and dependent on health factors like weight cutting, injuries, and overall physical condition. The analysis suggests fighters like Chimaev need to develop more complete striking games to complement their wrestling, particularly when health issues may compromise their grappling effectiveness.