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There have been instances in the UFC where fighters chose not to spar in training camp ahead of their fights.
Sparring is perhaps the most important part of training for a fighter. Not only does it help a fighter to get his or her mindset glued to the idea of battling, but also helps enhance the ability to take hits.
However, there are some fighters who choose to leave sparring out of their training schedules during fight camp. While there could be various reasons behind it - like entering the fight fresh without breaking the body down - leaving sparring out is not usually recommended.
Nevertheless, these fighters beat conventional wisdom and put on spectacular performances on fight night. Let's dive into the list to see who these UFC warriors are.
Max Holloway enters the Matrix against Calvin Kattar
Max Holloway entered 2021 in dynamic fashion as he delivered a masterpiece in his fight against Calvin Kattar.
The Hawaiian was riding a two-fight losing streak and seemed determined to get back on the winning column. What's interesting is that he employed a strategy that he picked up while training during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown.
The former UFC Featherweight champion did not spar while in camp ahead of his fight with Calvin Kattar. According to him, as long as he knows how to punch and strike, he does not need to put his body in harm's way in preparation.
Despite leaving sparring out, Max Holloway delivered an awe-inspiring performance. In a fight that lasted the entirety of 5 rounds, Holloway consistently applied overwhelming pressure on Kattar.
While people may argue that sparring helps in being better-prepared for the fight, Holloway made a very strong case for entering the fight fresh. He landed a record 445 strikes on Calvin Kattar in their fight.
Credit where credit is due, Calvin Kattar showed the heart of a lion. Not only did he remain on his feet even when he was dazed, he also dished out strikes of his own that, according to Holloway, did hurt.
However, Max Holloway's performance was one of the single greatest showings in UFC history.
Robbie Lawler implemented a strict no-sparring policy for 6 years
Former UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler had a very interesting phase during his career when he chose not to spar.
Back in 2006, when Lawler had moved on from his first tenure with the UFC, he decided to give up sparring. According to MMA Junkie, the decision was motivated by that one time when Lawler was hurt really bad by a punch in sparring.
"It wasn’t anything too hard But, when we went straight from sparring to grappling and I laid down on my back, the room started spinning," he said.
And this new rule that 'Ruthless' Lawler made for himself really did work out pretty well for the first few fights. He bagged back-to-back victories against Frank Trigg, and Murilo Rua, immediately after starting his new approach.
However, shadow-boxing can never be a real substitute for sparring. At the end of 6 years of his no-sparring policy, Lawler made his UFC comeback and shifted to the American Top Team for training.
There, he let the coaches tell him what to do and went on a winning streak yet again despite incorporating sparring into his training again.
Michal Bisping knocks out Luke Rockhold coming off a movie set
Michael "The Count" Bisping is one of the most hard working and tough fighters that the UFC has seen. He brought his career to an end only after winning the Middleweight title, after trying for years.
It was at the age of 37 that he finally managed to lift the title.
He fought Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June 2016 in what was their second clash.
At the time, Luke Rockhold was the Middleweight champion. He was scheduled to fight Chris Weidman at UFC 199. However, Weidman fell out, and Jacare Souza was also injured.
Michael Bisping took the fight at a 2-week notice as he felt that this opportunity was too good to let go. He was, at that point, on the set of xXx: Return of Xander Cage when the call arrived.
Despite such a short preparation time and no sparring, the Bristish fighter knocked Luke Rockhold out in the first round to become the UFC middleweight champion.
