Grappling leaderboard

Most Takedowns Landed in UFC History

Filters All divisions · All time
1
Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili
119 Takedowns 7.0/fight·35.2% acc
2
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre
90 Takedowns 4.1/fight·73.8% acc
3
Gleison Tibau
Gleison Tibau
84 Takedowns 3.0/fight·53.5% acc
4
Clay Guida
Clay Guida
78 Takedowns 2.1/fight·33.6% acc
5
Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson
74 Takedowns 4.1/fight·54.8% acc
6
Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar
73 Takedowns 2.4/fight·31.5% acc
7
Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes
70 Takedowns 3.2/fight·47.3% acc
8
Colby Covington
Colby Covington
70 Takedowns 4.1/fight·42.7% acc
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9
Tim Elliott
Tim Elliott
70 Takedowns 3.0/fight·45.5% acc
10
Nik Lentz
Nik Lentz
69 Takedowns 2.8/fight·32.9% acc
11
Rafael Dos Anjos
Rafael Dos Anjos
68 Takedowns 1.8/fight·35.6% acc
12
Demian Maia
Demian Maia
68 Takedowns 2.1/fight·24.8% acc
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13
Darren Elkins
Darren Elkins
67 Takedowns 2.2/fight·33.8% acc
14
Neil Magny
Neil Magny
64 Takedowns 1.7/fight·39.5% acc
15
Valentina Shevchenko
Valentina Shevchenko
64 Takedowns 3.4/fight·61.5% acc

All-time takedown leaders ranked by total takedowns landed across all UFC bouts.

About UFC Takedown Statistics

Takedowns are one of the most important weapons in mixed martial arts, allowing fighters to control where the fight takes place. This leaderboard ranks UFC fighters by total takedowns landed across their career, highlighting the most dominant wrestlers and grapplers in the sport's history.

How We Calculate These Stats

  • Takedowns Landed: The total number of successful takedowns completed across all UFC bouts with recorded statistics.
  • Per-Fight Average: Average takedowns landed per fight, showing consistency rather than just longevity.
  • Accuracy: The percentage of attempted takedowns that were successfully completed (landed / attempted).
  • Minimum Requirements: Fighters must have stats from at least 3 fights and 20+ takedown attempts to qualify, ensuring statistical significance.
  • Division Filter: Selecting a division counts only the takedowns landed in bouts contested at that weight, not the fighter's whole career. Every division a fighter competed in adds back up to their career total exactly.

What the accuracy figure actually looks like

Across the fighters who qualify for this board, takedown accuracy averages a little under 38%. Roughly two in five clear 40% and only about one in six convert more than half of their attempts, so a 40% completion rate is genuinely good rather than a baseline. Total takedown numbers tend to favour fighters with longer UFC careers, while per-fight averages better indicate a fighter's wrestling dominance on any given night.

Volume and accuracy pull against each other. Several of the highest-volume takedown artists on this list sit below the 38% average precisely because they shoot relentlessly, wearing opponents down with attempts that mostly fail, while fighters with the highest conversion rates tend to shoot only when the opening is already there. Neither approach is better; they are different ways of winning the grappling exchange.

Limits worth knowing

A takedown is scored when it is completed, and nothing more. The count does not care whether the fighter held the position for four minutes or was reversed immediately, so a big total is not by itself evidence of grappling control. Pair it with control time to see which takedowns actually led anywhere. Per-round statistics exist for roughly 8,750 of the 8,800-plus bouts in our database, and a division view counts only the takedowns landed at that weight, so a fighter who changed division has their total split between divisions rather than repeated in each.

All statistics are parsed from official UFC fight data and updated after each event. For opposition-weighted rankings see our ELO ratings, for individual breakdowns the fighter profiles, and for the wider picture the UFC statistics hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between total takedowns and takedown accuracy?
Total takedowns counts every successful takedown a fighter has landed across their UFC career, so it rewards volume and longevity. Takedown accuracy measures the percentage of attempts that actually succeed, which better isolates a wrestler's efficiency on a given night.
Why do longtime UFC veterans dominate the total takedowns list?
Total takedowns is a cumulative stat, so fighters with more bouts and longer tenures naturally accumulate larger numbers. To gauge raw wrestling dominance rather than career length, the per-fight average is usually the more revealing metric.
What counts as a good takedown accuracy in the UFC?
Across the fighters who qualify for this leaderboard, takedown accuracy averages a little under 38 percent. Roughly two in five clear 40 percent and only about one in six convert more than half of their attempts, so anything above 40 percent is genuinely strong rather than routine. Note that several of the highest-volume takedown artists sit below that average, because shooting relentlessly drags the completion rate down even when the tactic works.
Why does a fighter's takedown total drop when I pick their division?
A division view counts only the takedowns landed in bouts actually contested at that weight. Fighters who moved up or down built part of their total elsewhere, so the division figure is a slice of the career number rather than all of it, and the divisions a fighter competed in add back up to their career total exactly.
Most Takedowns Landed in UFC History - top 10 (MMA.SOCIAL): 1. Merab Dvalishvili (119), 2. Georges St-Pierre (90), 3. Gleison Tibau (84), 4. Clay Guida (78), 5. Demetrious Johnson (74), 6. Frankie Edgar (73), 7. Curtis Blaydes (70), 8. Colby Covington (70), 9. Tim Elliott (70), 10. Nik Lentz (69)
Most Takedowns Landed in UFC History - top 10, updated Oct 4, 2026.
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Most Takedowns Landed in UFC History: top 10

The top 10 as one image. Free to share, updated after every UFC card.

Who has landed the most takedowns in UFC history?

Merab Dvalishvili, with 119 takedowns landed.

Second: Georges St-Pierre (90). Third: Gleison Tibau (84).

Counted from UFC bouts recorded on MMA.SOCIAL — UFC appearances only, not a fighter's full professional record.