Rare UFC 328 Stat: Two Fighters Lost Title Fights Despite 8+ Takedowns

At UFC 328, a rare statistical occurrence happened 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 landed 9 takedowns and Tatsuro Taira landed 8 takedowns with nearly 11 minutes of control time, yet both lost their respective title fights. The post analyzes that this demonstrates how total versatility still trumps even elite-level wrestling, as factors like weight cutting, injuries, and conditioning can reduce an 80 percent advantage to 20 percent against skilled well-rounded strikers. The analysis suggests this should motivate wrestlers like Chimaev to develop more complete striking games rather than rely primarily on grappling.