The genesis of organized mma began in the street. How can we find out who the toughest guy is without any fatal outcome? Sometimes in real life fight results are final. With some basic rules protecting life we can find out who the toughest s.o.b. really is.
In the early days of fighting you wanted to prove you were the toughest kid on your street. Then you wanted to prove you were the toughest kid in the neighborhood. Then you wanted to prove you were the toughest kid in your area. Then the toughest kid at school. And so on. If you lost and survived, you walked away thinking about it tirelessly and working at getting better as a fighter so you could get even.
Because of that need to be the best, fighters began developing a fundamental skill set- in America it was almost always boxing. But in other countries boxing was replaced by skills more natural to the culture, like grappling, or striking, or weapons. Soon it became "What is the best fighting style?" Eventually the toughest fighter evolved and so did the venue by which he proved his merit.
Enter organized mma. Let's find out who is the best fighter- the boxer or the grappler. The most noted result was Royce Gracie and his early UFC performances. Fighters showed up, fought in tournament fashion, and the best fighter walked out. In the street there is no chance to plan, to watch tape, to evaluate an opponent. It is an immediate life and death scenario that has to be addressed. This was how the first events were presented. They had that excitement that anything could happen. It was real, true, accurate, and life and death. These men didn't fight for money, fame, sportswear contracts, or movie opportunities. They came to find out who the baddest man on the planet was.
Following those early organized events, fighters were scrambling to develop more martial art skills and round out their abilities on that endless quest to be the best fighter in the world. Mma evolved quickly and the era of the mma fighter was fully here. But something else was happening as well. It became a business. Big business. And with that the foundation and the idea changed.
Now, with money, fame, and greater opportunities than ever the risk versus reward of winning and losing has created a different environment for fighters. And it has created a different fighter. It has gave birth to the "mma sports athlete".
Fights are now planned. Opponents are studied. Teams are formed for training. Strategies are mapped out. Fighters have agents and managers. There are centers that build mma athletes physically and mentally.
Today we don't know who the best fighter is. We know who the best game planner is. We know who the best coach is. We know what the best camps are. We know who the best talker is.
Today, you can be a champion, but not the best fighter. You can out point your way to victories and be undefeated. But there are no points on the street. Today we have mma sports athletes- there are few fighters left. The genesis of organized mma is behind us and a distant memory.
In the early UFC's everyone was shocked by the performance of Royce Gracie. Imagine those first competitions in today's environment. Would mma be what it is today? Would it be better or worse? Would Royce have won? Is it better? Worse? You decide but one fact is true: there are few fighters in today's organized mma arena.
Posts: 1
ill pass
Frat. 
Summary: MMA has turned into point fighting.
Cool starry, brah.
stfu kkm!
jtown2 - Frat.
.
Well, I learned nothing.
I'll piggyback off that last one :)
vermonter -
I'll piggyback off that last one :)
It's appropriate for all of these mma doomsday people
I agree with the OP. MMA has evolved far from its roots. Not saying I can't appreciate modern MMA, I do like the strategy aspect but it is certainly different.
Pride signed fighters without knowing who the opponent was. Often the result was a wild shoot out. I imagine that would be a little closer.
You can out point your way to victories and be undefeated. But there are no points on the street.
Gold.
rise and fall of the UG imo
RyannVonDoom - Eaton beaver wants his materiel back.
This! 
Rise and fall of his vote down count
CoreyHillLeg - Posts: 1
ill pass
original whining