Honestly you make some valid points and I cannot argue with a lot of what you said. However, I would not be so eager to lump all MMA
fighters into a category of blood thirsty gladiators with no respect. Most fighters learn humility and respect through training, winning, and losing. It is the Tapout wearing wannabe mouthboxers who give many of them a bad name.
It's funny, at the gym I work out at, (fitness gym, not martial arts gym) they have a heavy bag I use quite often. A lot of younger guys will come up to me and tell me about how they either train in MMA or want to train in MMA. I will listen to them, sometimes give advice if they ask, but what I always find paculiar is when they ask what I train in. I always tell them, Kung Fu. It is my base art and what I do the most of. I have trained in other arts, but Kung Fu is what I am.
Almost all of them tell me they thought I was either a kickboxer or Muay Thai practioner. Maybe it is because they have been force fed an ideology that those two striking arts, along with boxing, are the be all end all and nothing else can get it done. Unfortunately I believe the younger generation has been brain washed into believing all traditional martia arts are worthless. So in some ways, they are only regurgitating what wrong information they were taught. Of course, the same can be said for Kung Fu and those who preach to their students how combat sports are bloodthirsty modern gladiators with no respect or humility. Just food for thought.