"I think that the level of skill is going up dramatically. Guys are way more well- rounded than they were back in the day.
Birth of the elite MMA athlete, IMO"
Source?
"Source?"
You are kidding right?
"Gonzaga had nothing to lose and everything to gain, on the otherhand mirko crocop thought gonzaga was going to be afraid and not press the action. Crocop just underestimated Gonzaga and thats the bottom line."
But the difference is that back in the day, a grappler would have just continued working on his grappling trying to make himself better. Instead, Gonzaga worked on his striking and defeated a striker with his own signature move.
That is incredibly telling evidence that cross-training is what is happening right now.
The evolution will continue and you will see some blockbuster fights in the near future.
These are exciting times in MMA.
Younger generation fighters are learning more and more each day. We are learning from the mistakes of our predecessors and expanding on the idealogy that they have presented in their training routines.
MMA is becoming just that. MMA.
"the next evolution in mma is happening right before our eyes...."
Correct.
Evolve, or become extinct. The oldest phenomenon known to earthly creatures.