Best takedown defense in UFC heavyweight history
Junior Dos Santos holds the UFC heavyweight record for best takedown defense with 81.8% defense.
UFC fights only, minimum 5 fights. Updated October 20, 2026.
| # | Fighter | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior Dos Santos | 81.8% |
| 2 | Ian Freeman | 81.5% |
| 3 | Andrei Arlovski | 77.8% |
| 3 | Junior Tafa | 77.8% |
| 5 | Pedro Rizzo | 77.5% |
| 6 | Tim Sylvia | 75.0% |
| 6 | Travis Browne | 75.0% |
| 8 | Chase Sherman | 74.2% |
| 9 | Mirko Filipovic | 73.0% |
| 10 | Jairzinho Rozenstruik | 72.3% |
| 11 | Joey Beltran | 72.0% |
| 12 | Francis Ngannou | 71.8% |
| 13 | Marcin Tybura | 70.7% |
| 14 | Waldo Cortes-Acosta | 69.7% |
| 15 | Alexander Volkov | 69.4% |
| 16 | Daniel Omielanczuk | 68.3% |
| 17 | Mark Hunt | 65.8% |
| 18 | Roy Nelson | 64.5% |
| 19 | Jhonata Diniz | 62.1% |
| 20 | Ben Rothwell | 59.3% |
| 21 | Tai Tuivasa | 56.2% |
| 22 | Stefan Struve | 55.8% |
| 23 | Matt Mitrione | 55.2% |
| 24 | Cheick Kongo | 53.3% |
| 25 | Derrick Lewis | 51.9% |
| 26 | Pete Williams | 45.2% |
| 27 | Don'Tale Mayes | 31.2% |
| 28 | Heath Herring | 19.2% |
Related records
How we count: results and statistics are from official UFC fight data. Strike and takedown numbers only exist for fights where the UFC recorded them. Rates need at least 5 UFC fights and enough attempts to be meaningful.