You'll get that elitism from time to time when it comes to anything that involves competition. MMA, football, hell I've even heard of men's softball clubs that are full of goons.

One of the things that a lot of people don't consider though, is that a lot of the people who talk like that in the MMA world are literally all talk. They often scrub out relatively quickly. There are literally thousands of people who are better then you. They can outroll you, outbox you, whatever. If you have a big ego and it depends upon you succeeding, you're not going to do well. Conversely, if you're a person who values hard work, dedication, and learning and can stand to be humbled from time to time, you're gonna grow. Everybody at the gym that I went to was very mature and well composed and they're more than happy to help you out, especially at the beginning.

I also think a lot of people who "practice MMA" and trash talk haven't been in it for long. They see the trash talking you see when companies like UFC, Bellator, Invicta, etc. are promoting fights and they think that's the general attitude of the fighters. That's not the case at all. The majority of those people are awesome and down to earth. In fact, you'll constantly see them stop to talk and take pictures with fans, even when they're just having a day at the mall with their family. The trash talk you see on TV is part of a two fold system. It's a psych game for the fighters and it's a marketing tool for the promoters. It should never be taken as an indication as to who these fighters are. True, you'll get some goons that stand out from time to time, but that's true in any sport. They shouldn't be a representative of the whole.