Muay Thai doesn't pay the bills is a phrase 99% of the Muay Thai fighters in the United States will tell you is true. Muay Thai, a sport that world wide has a huge following, has only a niche market in the United States. In the states it is all bout MMA, that is the money maker. Why is it that you can make a living off of MMA and not Muay Thai? Why is it that many fighters who love Muay Thai have to try their hand at MMA so that they can pay the bills? MMA is the money maker here in the United States because of how it is promoted, it wasn't too long ago that MMA was seen as a savage sport, that had no place on television, now CBS plays host to MMA a couple of times a year, and on a monthly basis millions of people pay $50 to watch in on pay per view. How is it that MMA which at times looks like just a street brawl with rules is so popular, but a sport that is filled with tradition such as Muay Thai, and takes great amounts of technique is not popular?