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.
UFC 328 produced a statistical anomaly so striking it happened twice on the same card: two fighters each completed eight or more takedowns in championship bouts and still walked away with losses.
Khamzat Chimaev, known as "Borz," brought his signature smothering wrestling into a middleweight title fight at UFC 328 on May 9 and landed nine takedowns. The 30-year-old — now 15-1 — is ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound, and his numbers reflect a genuinely elite grappler. Representing the United Arab Emirates out of Allstars Training Center, Chimaev averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and produces significant strikes at a rate of 4.04 per minute, all at 60 percent accuracy. None of it was enough on the night.
Tatsuro Taira's situation was equally remarkable. The 26-year-old Japanese flyweight, ranked fifth in his division at 18-2, completed eight takedowns and accumulated nearly 11 minutes of control time in his own title challenge. Taira averages 3.12 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 2.94 significant strikes per minute at 60 percent accuracy — a well-rounded profile that made his defeat all the more surprising.
Why it matters
- Historically, UFC fighters who complete five or more takedowns in title fights win 81 percent of the time; at seven or more, that figure climbs to 83 percent — making both outcomes outliers.
- The results suggest that elite striking and total cage versatility can neutralize even dominant wrestling at the championship level.
- For Chimaev, a fighter with clear striking volume in his numbers, the loss adds fresh urgency to developing a more complete offensive game rather than leaning on grappling alone.
- Both men remain relevant divisional figures — Chimaev as the top-ranked middleweight, Taira as a top-five flyweight — so the title picture around each division shifts meaningfully following their defeats.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
