Why Are Martial Sports Superior?

One of my most beloved striking arts is Muay Thai, the ancient sport that's actually a deadly fighting art. To me, what makes it practical (besides the deadly techniques) is that it is a sport!

Just what do you mean, Teodoro??? Aren't sports less deadly than real martial arts???

I have trained in:
Tae Kwon Do (WTF and ITF)
Isshin-Ryu
Taido
Wrestling (freestyle)
Aikido (Yoshin)
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)
Western Boxing
Wing Chun (Canton-style)
Arnis (Doce Pares)
Ju-Jitsu* (Wally Jay's Small Circle and traditional, no Brazilian)
Judo*
*Limited (less than a year)

I relate this to tell you that the styles that make up the core of what I use are Muay Thai, Western Boxing, and a mixture of Aikido and Ju-Jitsu technique. In other words, my core styles are sports (boxing and Muay Thai). Why?

The advantage of Muay Thai training methods and competition, to me, is that it's closer to a "real fight" than anything I've seen in a Karate or TKD match. There is full contact, continuous fighting (no stoppage of action after a score), fighting in all hand to hand ranges, and knockouts. It develops the ability to get hit without freezing, then fire back without thinking. Plus it develops a "killer instinct" to hit first, hard, and finish off a stunned opponent. Those aspects don't exist in most martial arts that don't have a sport component. Even sport TKD builds that fighting instinct, though it doesn't allow much practical punching.

One of the problems with more esoteric styles is that you never "use" it. For example, I've seen many Aikidoka that are so steeped in their system, and only train against it, that they'd have trouble with someone that's untrained, but may be very good against "traditional" technique. In other words, they can't fight. There are exceptions, of course, but if you asked me to bet on a college wrestler versus an Aikido practitioner, I'd take the wrestler. [I'm betting on some hate mail here] Same with some traditional Karate and Kung Fu - you'd have to adapt it to make it work.

Take the UFC as an example. In the beginning two years or so, maybe less, the big thing was to put the different styles in the octagon, and "see what happened!" Well, a few UFCs later, what happened was that the styles blended, and now it doesn't make too much difference. (The only problem with this example is that the padded ring slants it toward takedowns and grappling, then the introduction of gloves made it a punching, not open-hand striking sport. I understand both, 'cause it makes for a more exciting "fight," though it takes the real out of the so-called-reality fighting.) Anyway, why were the Gracies and other grappling sports so successful versus the more traditional styles - practice. Those from other styles that compete a lot - kickboxing/full-contact, wrestlers, Judo players, Sombo and MMA/submission fighting - did very well, too. The only competitive styles that I haven't seen be really successful have been boxing and Sumo, because I think they are too far removed from what happens in the Octagon.

Anyway, I read an introduction in a Gracie Jujutsu book that explained it this way (I am paraphrasing from memory):

1. There were challenge matches with other schools
2. The Gracies and the Judo schools competed, the others didn't because their techniques were "too deadly"
3. The Gracies and Judo players won

What that tells me is that 1) those who use their technique often in competition will be able to use it under stress, as in an attack, and 2) the stress of competition probably prepares one for a similar stress in an attack better than punching at air or doing pre-arranged drills all the time.

Do you agree?