Yeah, I've been doing various martial arts for over a decade, and I've never been in a sparring match or fight that wouldn't have been over in thirty seconds if people weren't pulling punches. It takes two good hits, one to stun and one to down, and you're done, or one good lock if you're the wrestling type.
Even in Judo, which is a very structured sport, a lot of matches last three or four seconds. If they last the full time it's mostly sitting around, with lots of unsuccessful throw attempts of lots of semi-successful holds. This situation wouldn't happen if punches and kicks were thrown, too, because people wouldn't wait around for a successful throw.
And when you're in a fight, it goes by fast. Everything is a flash, and (especially if you're trained) you don't really remember what happened afterwards. At least that's my experience, and I've met many others with similar experiences. It's all just reflex and muscle memory. So, when I read long fight scenes, with the exception of magical fight scenes or gun battles, etc. I find it less interesting than long dialog, usually.