Quote Originally Posted by Stickgrappler View Post
yeah i agree zuffa has a stranglehold on the money, but a lot of the fighters fight not for the money, but it's in their blood... they live and breathe mma.

iirc, tank abbott either/or chuck liddell (or both!) has a quote something to the effect of 'i'd fight for free' because they are fighters.

the money is much more lucrative in boxing, definitely in the upper echelons, but for a fighter who really wants to test himself, he trains multi-dimensional a la mma and one-dimensional like boxing hands-only (not dissing boxing), but the mma athlete wants a fuller 'game'/total test of skills vs training hands only

if they were really into it for the money, they would've went to boxing
I think that would be because they had complete shit for brains, with no morality and nowhere near the talent or skills to have ever had the equivalent success in anything. They were lucky to make more than they would have digging ditches or whatever the hell else they were capable of. Let alone another sport, let alone boxing, those guys were downright bums.
Most of your post is perfectly fair, that's just my take There are much more talented and sophisticated guys coming up in MMA these days, and a lot of what leads them to it over boxing say, is surely just passion for the sport. I don't think you can understate the peer recognition aspect of it either, kids don't watch boxing by and large, so people aren't going to take up boxing as a social thing, or to impress anyone etc, which is instrumental in getting young people into sports.