Quote: Holloway’s Advice To Stop Sparring Will Influence Many Fighters

UFC lightweight Beniel Dariush believes that the one thing that might be more influential than Max Holloway’s five-star performance at UFC on ABC 1 are the words he said after the fight.

The stage was set for the UFC to make its return to network TV when UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar hit the airwaves on January 16. The event was a success as the world tuned in to watch former featherweight champion Max Holloway light up Calvin Kattar in a bad way, following the path of greats like Muhammad Ali before him who made themselves at home in the living room of America via ABC.

As the commentators and viewers at home witnessed Holloway’s greatness, it was unknown at the time the extent of how impressive the win was. Specifically, Holloway was able to set the record for most significant strikes during the bout. Truly, Max Holloway looked better than ever.

So when Holloway announced that he did not spar leading up to the fight, much like he did not prior to his second bout against Alexander Volkanovski, this revelation turned a lot of heads. But Holloway would go one step further and suggest that other fighters stop sparring as well in order to prevent taking unnecessary damage.

Holloway’s Advice To Influence Other Fighters?

#13-ranked lightweight and UFC veteran Beneil Dariush was among those who was tuning in to watch Holloway’s first-class performance, and he believes that the sparring moratorium recommended by the former featherweight champion will hold a lot of water among his peers.

“Bro, Max Holloway is something special,” Darush told MMA Junkie. “That fight was something special. How many guys have you seen that could do that? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone do anything like that. So that fight, for me, was incredible. I couldn’t believe what Max did. And then to go out there and say, ‘I don’t spar anymore,’ it makes you (rethink) your whole training style.

“It’s mindblowing to me,” Dariush continued. “I don’t know how to digest the whole thing when he says, ‘I don’t spar anymore.’ I really don’t know what to tell you. I think it’s gonna affect a lot of people.”

Dariush would reveal that he also doesn’t spar when he doesn’t have a fight lined up, but when booked, he spars once a week. His next bout will take place on February 6 when he takes on Diego Ferreira at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov.

Do you believe Max Holloway’s advice will convince other UFC fighters to stop sparring?