well see very few MMA games in m RPG and even if you add all the professional wrestlers and MMA and other Martial Artists 99 percent of people who train to fight are training to kill. Even if they don't expect to do it every day. so a few percentage points of athletes don't really move that needle at all. Historically paid combatants for sport were pretty rare unless it was to the death anyway so your argument only holds for modern times anyway. But Warriors name starts with WAR for a reason. The concept of Warriors came from all the many wars most of the combatants throughout history participated in. And inspite of many cultures attempts to turn combat into a sacred or special thing in the end it always ends up with people trained to kill killing each other. I seriously doubt there are any DIVINE limitation in my Mundane argument about people trained to kill killing people.I am sorry that your scope of warrior is soo ... small and thusly tied to DnD's limited interpretation and expression. I might, if possible, attempt to expand your concept of what a warrior is. I will first take MMA, and note very quickly that in counter to warriors being only there for murder, and make the distinction that combat is not always murder.
I certainly see MMA fighters, (hrmph it's in the name) as warriors. To this end, yes they earn money for, here it is again, combat. Instead of lethal weapons they use natural weapons, which still have the potential to kill, but that really isn't the point is it? They get in a ring and fight. Now let's put your average guy into the ring. Now according to you, no special training or moves are required by the farmer what so ever. Surely there will be no difference in skill or relative ability to defeat one another.....
And here, in a real life example, is where your argument shows its divine limitations. There is most certainly a training requirement, a unique set of skills that will allow the MMA fighter to over come his average guy rival. And it will happen nearly every single time. This also rings true if each combatant has a long period of time fighting in their own native fighting style. A dedicated warrior will always beat out an average person, every single time...(nearly) But as a general rule, yes.
Lastly many professions take part in combat to protect, self defend or to acquire loot. This does not make every single one of them warriors. A warrior is a specific expression of combat, not just a combatant.
And I'm pretty sure Bruce lee got shot in the chest by a street thug. Police officers sometimes get themselves in trouble because muscle memory kicks in and they kill people they shouldn't because they react without thinking. Most Chinese and Japanese orders that revered martial arts died in the 1800's because guns erased your idea that trained people always win. Even if you go back historically many groups of trained warriors and monks became so successful that kings, and emperors just overwhelmed them with force and killed them all. That and honestly size, and mass and numbers mean far more than most people realize. As I said. I fully accept the argument that other people kill for money. That doesn't limit or mitigate my argument about warriors at all. Though I am fully aware that pointing out that people who train to kill usually do kill and that there is nothing good, holy, divine or even sacred about it, is something that pokes at many culture's sacred cows about their special men and women of war and combat. I'll even admit that some of them use those abilities to protect others.
however this is a gamer forum we are talking about RPG games and it's really silly to try and frame an RPG , mythical, argument around real life.
I'll leave with one statement. IMO Training to Kill is training to kill. nothing more nothing less and there is nothing divine or special about it. This is why the term MURDERHOBO exists in the game community. You can be a warrior and not a murderhobo., but there is nothing uniquely divine or special about warriors. (but that could be different in a fantasy world). In reality they are people who with all the options their society gave them to make the world a better place decided to focus on how to kill people. But I do love my myths and legends where the most noble warriors slay all the bad guys and make the world a better place. It is sad that it doesn't seem to work that way in real life. This is why we have them in games. I don't expect you to agree with me. Don't really care if you disagree with me. I've had my say.
I'm not replying on any more on this particular part of this discussion. /done /peace out