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

A rare statistical anomaly occurred twice at UFC 328 when fighters who completed 8+ takedowns in title fights lost their bouts. Historically, fighters who land 5+ takedowns in UFC title fights win 81.08% of the time, and those with 7+ takedowns win 83% of the time. However, both Khamzat Chimaev and Tatsuro Taira landed 9 and 8 takedowns respectively yet lost their championship fights. Taira particularly had quality takedowns with nearly 11 minutes of control time but was still finished by Joshua Van. The analysis suggests that while elite wrestlers maintain an 80% win probability, total well-roundedness is superior, as wrestling is energy-intensive and highly dependent on health conditions and circumstances. The post argues that Chimaev has the physical tools to become more well-rounded with proper striking coaching.