BKFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell continues to use sparring as a major part of his fight preparation, emphasizing technique and safety over power, despite a trend among fighters to cut sparring from their training due to concerns about injuries and brain trauma.
Sparring was once a staple in every combat athlete’s training regimen. However, with increasing awareness of injuries and brain trauma, many fighters have cut it from their routine.
Not Ben Rothwell, though.
This BKFC heavyweight, a UFC veteran of over a decade, swears by sparring. But he’s picky about how he does it. He’s seen countless videos of fighters beating each other senseless in sparring. That’s not his style, though.
“I spar every week, religiously,” Rothwell shared with MMA Fighting. He knows many have abandoned sparring, but he thrives on it. It’s his cardio, he loves it.
But it’s not about hitting as hard as possible. If that were the case, he’d have no sparring partners left. It’s about the work, the speed, the movement. It’s about getting exhausted doing technical work.
Rothwell is particular about who he spars with. Despite his size advantage, he even spars with flyweights. It might sound odd, but he says it pays off. It’s about training safely so everyone walks away unscathed.
“I love the reaction time, defense, everything that comes with sparring,” Rothwell said. “Pad work, a bag, they can’t give you that.” He doesn’t just spar with random people. He’s got two main heavyweights, both bigger than him. One’s a Golden Gloves boxer, the other’s going pro.
He also spars with his fight team, who are 205 pounds and under. He even spars with 170, 155-pound fighters. “I pride myself on sparring dudes bigger than me all the way down to Cody Linne, who is 125 pounds,” he said.
Rothwell’s approach is different from former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland‘s. Strickland is known for his intense sparring sessions. Ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold accused him of going too hard, trying to score knockouts during training.
Rothwell hasn’t trained with Strickland, but he assures that’s not how sparring goes in his gym. If Strickland or anyone like him tried to spar with him like that, it wouldn’t end well for them.
“I’m really particular about who I let in,” Rothwell said. “If Sean Strickland and I started sparring and he acted like that, I’m putting him down. He’s 100 percent going to get hurt.”
Rothwell believes in saving the real fight for fight night. He does test his power and improve his skills, but not against his regular sparring partners.
“When do I hit my hardest? Yeah, that’s when we work on the pads and the bag work, those things can take it,” Rothwell said. “But none of those things can mimic a person who is randomly throwing things, moving things, doing things. I love that reaction. The technique, the defense.”
Since moving to BKFC, Rothwell has made sparring a main part of his training camps. He’s no longer putting his body through the rigors of a full MMA workout.
As he prepares to fight Todd Duffee at BKFC KnuckleMania 4 on Saturday, Rothwell has largely prepared the same way he has for everybody else in bare-knuckle. He’s implementing some specific looks from his training partners to mimic Duffee.
“That’s rogue sparring,” Rothwell said. “[People who say,] ‘I’m going to do what I want, I don’t care who I’m going with.’ You’re just fighting without getting paid.”