Famed MMA coach Greg Jackson, who is a trainer/coach on Bellator MMA's Fight Master and has groomed several UFC champions, notes that people watch fights to be inspired:
Why do people watch fights?...They watch it for inspiration.
If you look at fight that fans adored most in 2011, it was Dan Henderson against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. There was no finish, but it was a back and forth battle and in the later rounds both fighters were running out of gas, the technique was declining, the motions were slowing, but people loved it. They loved it because Dan Henderson wouldn't accept defeat; Shogun Rua would not accept defeat. They had nothing left but kept going, kept fight, kept pushing forward. It reminded them of their struggles, the times when they were down but had to get back up and "fight" in their lives. It inspired them inside to keep going, keep pushing forward, and keep "fighting" for their goals, their dreams, their lives, their children, their family, their..........
It goes on and on and on. But people like the technique, the thrill of the knockout, the exciting of the unknown, seeing who the best in the world is, the wow factor, and a bunch of other elements of mixed martial arts. However, one of the key ingredients to why fans are so drawn to the sport is the inspirational factor. That's where the artistry of mixed martial arts also comes into play; where the fight is not just a competition but a piece of work unto itself that inspires others and everyone views it through their own lens; just alike any work of art.