what martial arts were you learning?
MMA, so well rounded in American wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, NO-gi Jiu Jitsu, (the Gi is that annoying "suit" as I like to call it, so No-Gi could be nothing but shorts), Ground and Pound, Dirty Boxing.
krav maga is wing chung slightly tailored. Wing chung is chinese boxing. If you mix wing chung with boxing you get jeet kune do which is the best if you are athletic enough to use it. It's what anderson silva used in conjunction with brazillian ju jitsu to win for so many years. He even trained on a wooden dummy.
I could see wing chung (or a variety of martial arts) being a good foundation for the more aggressive Ass Beating Arts, which I've listed above.
Krav Maga is my love when it comes to martial arts. I like the simplicity of the moves, how not much strength is needed for them, and how it can easily be tailored to dealing with several sizes of opponents. A lot of modern teachers are using submissive positions as the starting positions for moves, and I find the practicality of using what the body is used to to help with physical muscle memory important in the application of martial arts. I'm not a boxer, and I'm not sparring anytime soon, so my appreciation is totally on feasibility.
I took BJJ for a very short time, and while I got a work out out of it, the moves were complex even at a beginner level and I felt there were too many steps with too much that could go wrong. I can't flip someone anymore like I could in the class. I can, however, still fall back, cat strike, and push a gun out of the way the way I was taught in my krav maga class so long ago now.
Traditional Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, with the suit (Gi), uggh, I just don't have the patience for. I agree, moves are too complex. If you're really into it, it's endless, but all I ever wanted to learn was how to defend myself/others as effectively as possible.
I also learned No-Gi, so I feel like I'm wearing ropes with a Gi. Turn off. 10th Planet baby!
Anyway, I've NEVER taken a Krav Maga class. Sounds cool, and effective.
But for the sport of MMA, where you're not trying to maim or mutilate your opponent (though that certainly happens), you will not survive in the cage without, in my estimate, Jiu-Jitsu (think Royce Gracie DOMINATING the first UFCs) > Wrestling > Boxing > Muay Thai. Those four, you're solid in a cage fight. Open to debate.
SOOOOOO many martial arts got thrown out the window when the early days of UFC started. Some were jokes compared to an armbar or strong left hook.
Not to say that many of those can't be great building blocks, but MMA is "young man" strength. There will never be an Aikido master fighting in a cage using only Blending and Flowing, though he may have learned that first (I took like 4 months of Aikido and felt I couldn't beat up a 10 year old girl).
All that said, this is all different than what you would need in a street fight, bar fight, hand to hand combat on a battlefield, 1 against 4 (any more opponents than one, Jiu Jitsu is almost useless, for example), etc, etc.
Opponent/attacker has knife, gun, surprises you, surprises you with extra goons. Scenarios almost endless.
BUT I think MMA gives a solid foundation. From experience and study. Though other systems seem good too. I'm intrigued by Krav Maga, finding a proper instructor not full of shit, another issue.
That's my take for the day!