"But what about when it’s just 2 guys flopping on the floor together and touching each other? Is that really fun to watch?
And why would seemingly heterosexual men be interested in such a display? "
I don't think you were describing anything other than Australian Rules Football.
Australian Rules Football involves lots of running and jumping and very little of the man-on-man 'grappling' that's pervasive in MMA. In fact and unlike MMA, I've never heard of an ARF player "mounting" an opponent.
Well, U must have watched a different version of the AFL than what I've seen. I haven't seen any of the homoerotic 'ground and pound' that's a staple of MMA.