A highly unusual statistical anomaly occurred at UFC 328 when two fighters who landed 8 or more takedowns in title fights both lost their bouts. Historically, UFC fighters who complete 5+ takedowns in championship fights win 81.08% of the time, and those with 7+ takedowns win 83% of the time. Khamzat Chimaev landed 9 takedowns against Sean Strickland but lost, while Tatsuro Taira completed 8 takedowns with nearly 11 minutes of control time against Joshua Van yet was still finished. This demonstrates that elite wrestling alone is no longer sufficient against high-level universal fighters. The analysis suggests that even dominant grapplers remain vulnerable to weight cut issues, injuries, and cardio problems that can drastically reduce their effectiveness.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
