MMA........why do I love you so? Shall I count the ways?

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).........
I am sure there are many reasons why I enjoy watching this combat sport. The main reason is probably due to my naturally high levels of testosterone that comes with being a guy. I think it is more than just that though.
Have you ever seen a fight? I'm not talking an MMA fight. I mean any fight? Remember in school, kids would start shoving each other, someone would yell "Fight!", and people would come running from everywhere. Before long, the two shovers were rolling around in a ring made of curious bodies. People are just drawn to fights. Not all people, I realize, but a lot.....The Roman Colosseum had all those seats for a reason.
I used to wrestle in school, and I was pretty decent. Plus, I took Karate for awhile. So the sport of MMA appeals to me on those levels as well. I appreciate the hard work that the fighters put into perfecting their skills and craft. Plus, many have great backstories, which are capitalized on by their respective promotions, just like the networks do during the Olympics.
I think some of it appeals to my inner child, as well. I remember "play fighting" with imaginary opponents when I was a kid. I see my oldest do this now. Which I have to say, his doing it, always drive me crazy.....Partly because he always chooses to do this in public, so it looks like he is "special" or has some form of bodily Turrets.....I always did my imaginary fights when I was alone...........Anyway, I used to wonder, what would happen if Bruce Lee fought Mohammed Ali?...Or how long would Hulk Hogan last against a ninja?......Impossible matchups, based on style. MMA gives us that.......or at least used to. Now it is becoming it's own style, which is a combination of mainly boxing, wrestling, Jujitsu, and Muay Tai. But, there are still other practitioners in the sport. A Karate Champion here, or a Judo Champion there.
Granted, when the sport first started, it was basically Human Cockfighting. Big guys fighting little guys, usually until one of them could no longer continue. It has since evolved into a regulated sport. There are rules, weight classes, divisions, referees, athletic sanctioning commissions, and ringside doctors. The fight is usually stopped by the referee as soon as it becomes one-sided, or a fighter "taps out" or quits. Most states have now legalized it, and it has even been shown on network TV during primetime.
The only real bad thing to come out of it's increased popularity is that every Joe Shmoe thinks he's a cage fighter. Every guy thinks he has what it takes to enter the cage, but few rarely actually do have it. That doesn't stop all the wanna-be's.........kind of like when Rocky came out, and all these little white guys thought they could go out and kick the big black guys butt on the street. After coming to, they realized that it was just a movie........yep, now everybody is a cage fighter.