MMA vs. Boxing: Which is More Dangerous (Higher Level of Violence?)

I have heard, time and again, from boxing fans, that mixed martial arts is just a brutal bloodsport, or ''human cockfighting'' (as you have likely heard it described as well). They say boxing is more of an ''art form'', it takes skill and finesse, and all they see when they look at mixed martial arts is people beating the shit out of each other, whereas in boxing, they are trying to win by being technically superior.

This attitude demonstrates 2 things:

1) A misunderstanding of what is happening in the mixed martial arts arena.

2) A very fucked up line of differentiation.