I agree with you completely, but I'm not "normal"...lol.
You see, my goal is not for strength when compared to other guys in the gym, and especially not compared to power lifters... my goal is for strength in the ring against someone that wants to ktfo me or submit me.
I know that technique and conditioning are paramount; but why not work for all the tools available to me? Overpowering most of my opponents, along with having superior conditioning and technique is my game-plan, (yes sir, I already know there's a difference between strength and power).
Besides, I love having a rabbit to chase. My competitive nature compels me to push myself harder when it's against someone else than when it's against just myself... so I need that rabbit.
It motivates the hell out of me to watch someone dominate their weightclass... because I know that if I acheive my goals, via a step by step plan, I will be the one dominating.
A perfect example is Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir. Now, I know Brock is a phenom and I’m not trying to reach his level… but he illustrates my point perfectly. Brock lacked experience and technique, yet was still formidable because of his strength, power and athleticism. And Brock proved this by dominating the fight, until his lack of experience got him submitted. Can you imagine how dominating Brock will be when his technique and experience catch up with his strength and power?
So... my goal/plan, in order of current-priority, is as follow:
1) A combination of good Strength and Power for my weight-class
2) Technical improvements and muscle memory improvement
3) A Slow fat-loss of 50 pounds (1-1.25 lbs/week)
4) Conditioning (this isn't a huge focus until I get my strength up)
I'm giving myself 12 months to get where I want to be. This time next year, I want to be fighting again, at a strong 200 pounds.
So, I'm just trying to gauge what my #s should be for the top 10% of strength for my weight-class, (again, not including power lifters).