Not a big current MMA fan. But at the beginning, I loved it. I watched the first 9 UFC, back when there were literally no rules other than you couldn't bite. That was the Royce "I can't believe this guy weighs 13 pounds and is destroying dudes with nothing but kicks to the kidneys and the occasional dislocated elbow" Gracie, Tank Abbott, Dan "The Beast" Severn, etc fought. It was literally blood sport. I watched Tank Abbott knock a guy out so hard he went into a seizure and then Tank turned and laughed at the guy as he was seizing up. Don't search youtube for it unless you love watching real violence.
That said, boxing is dead. Even with the new rules of MMA (and I no longer watch it) it is a far superior spectator sport. I wish I was old enough to remember some of the fights you all are talking about; Ali Frazier, etc. The last pro boxing match I watched was when Tyson got hungry for an ear.