How much has MMA changed

[Python]

How much has MMA changed (Pride, UFC, K-1 or any other fighting network) would any of the fighters that have retired or passed for some other reason be able to compete with the fighters of today?

[Easye1982]

Sorry to say, but the past is the past. Those fights were great to prove that just because someone was a world class fighter in any style if they couldn't do anything on the ground that was it, fight over. The heroes of yesterday cant come close to the fighters of today. Now everyone knows what MMA is take a wide spectrum of lessons in all styles. The guys like Royce looked good beating a man 2-3 times his size, but thats because 80% of early fighters couldnt preform on the ground.

All of the above was for UFC. Pancrase has always been about "shoot fighting". So it has not changed too much. IMO UFC has changed the most of all MMA evets.