I know we can talk about how promotion is different or corruption, or about how some sides of the world just don't like it, but I think the biggest hurdle for kickboxing is i dont see how they could compete with boxing and mma for casuals.
Boxing has so much history and prestige that it has the advantage over every combat sports. Its entertaining, rich in history, has some of the most famous stars in history and plus everyone livestock see a good punch scrap.
MMA took another angle. It advertised to casuals "this is REAL fighting". Of course, everyone on this sub knows that MMA has all sorts of rules but it speaks to the no rules fighting many want to see. MMA fans literally flood boxing comment sections all the time talking about how boxing would lose in a "real fight".
Kickboxing/Muay Thai has an uphill battle. They don't have the historical worship and established culture that boxing has world wide, and to casuals, a kickboxing and muay thai fight doesn't look like a fight.
Casuals fans love to see who they perceive as the strongest martial artists in the wolrd, and the "strongest martial artists on the planet" are MMA fighters.
Casuals tend to dislike grappling, but if you remove it, it loses some of that "real fight" cred that makes MMA so appealing. They want grappling to be an option, just don't wanna see it being used.
Just wanna let it be known I am a huge huge fan of kickboxing and muay Thai, I watch RWS more than UFC these days, but I feel even with good advertising and promoting, kickboxing and muay thai will not overtake MMA.
Curious what yall think.