I think MMA is going in the direction of football in terms of talent and prospects. Football started off a joke of a sport and the more acceptance it received from the public, the more participants it lead to, which lead to a greater talent pool, which lead to a higher level of talent. Some of the kids at the high school football level have unreal athleticism.
MMA is getting more acceptance and as it continues to be recognized as more of a sport of discipline and not a bunch of meat heads who just like to fight, its going to pull more participants, greater pool of talent, higher level of talent.