"Stop nuthugging MMA and be realistic."
I don't think admitting that many of these athletes would have a better shot at a payday in MMA, than their chosen sports is nut-hugging MMA. Fighting is different than other sports. It attracts a different psychology.
"Sure, not all great athletes will translate into MMA, but a lot of them probably could."
Well, they should already be there. There's plenty of great athletes who have washed out of major sports long before they were past their prime. The problem is, they haven't spent most of their life training in MMA, so that window becomes a lot smaller, and the risks become much greater. Not everyone likes getting punched. Even tough guys who are considered street-fighting nightmares don't have it in them to consistently get beat up in order to progress.
"No, it's not easier to get into MMA. How many truly high quality MMA training centers exist? How many MMA fighters are getting "huge paydays"? The 100th highest paid MMA fighter is probably barely scraping by. The 100th highest paid NBA or NFL player is balling ass rich."
You're talking about 100 guys out of thousands of prospects. That number is small. Most will never come close to even a big pay day much less millions of dollars over their career.
If you think most grade-school, and H.S. athletes are choosing to play football for the prospect of some NFL career, then you're naive. Most know it's a pipe-dream. They play football because they like it, and they're good at it. In many instances, it gives them a chance at furthering their education. You can train in a primary grappling arts like Judo, Wrestling, or BJJ in most places, and any number of striking arts. You don't need an MMA gym to start preparing for MMA.
"MMA isn't drawing these athletes because the vast majority of kids don't grow up dreaming of being a UFC star. They grow up dreaming of being an NFL or NBA or MLB star. Their dads are pushing them to play those sports. Very few parents want to see their kids go into fighting. That shit would be nerve wracking to watch."
Very few kids want to go into fighting. Most people don't want to fight for very sensible reasons. Hell, good fighters don't even want to fight. Boxing has been plagued with a dearth of HW talent for decades, with a few bright spots in between, but it's still not attracting all of these so-called great athletes to its sport. You have to be a boxer by nature, not by trade.
"Historically speaking, the vast majority of the top tier HWs have been in that 225-245 range."
What is the source of this stat? HW's have been getting bigger since the 80's, and only really started becoming the trend in the 90's. They have gotten bigger ever since. They are consistently taller than at any other time in boxing history, and with much greater muscle mass.
It's considered a new normal at HW in boxing.
