A humble question,

What is it about the kyokushin karate style and Muay Thai boxing that many so called hardcore fighters like them better than other styles? Everytime I get into a discussion with/about fighters, they sing the praises of KK and MT. It is my impression that the actual technical syllabus is not all that much difference from other karate and kickboxing styles. However, at least to me, what distinguishes them is the training methodology - lot of emphasis on impact training against pads, bags, and partners, lots of sparring, very...well, for lack of a better way of saying it, hardcore workouts. Is this analysis about correct?