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MVC is a design pattern which seperates all Data/Views/Controllers in different layers just the thought of it already denotes a Class or Object like System if not your models will just be a file with list of functions calling from db. imagine writing PHP MVC in procedural code it would seem highly impossible because MVC allows us view each Component as a seperate enitity while procedural is more focus on the flow rather than the object itself.even the thought of it is quite frightening

Caramba!

in today's PHP development i see that advanced programming do well with OOP and MVC is one of the structures that saw indirectly gotten from OOP(as a means to efficiently manage large projects of thousand of php files), secondly php namespace is another BIG PLUS to "the elephant"
in the next few years i think procedural method will only be used in very small project because of its poor project structure and possibly beginners.

guy take the pains and understand it, surely you will not regret it.