glad to report that even with the weight disadvantage i didn't go down. i ate some heavy shots but just got a busted lip and a swollen nose. They guy was also new but he knows how to throw a punch. If he had the tank to follow up i woulda got it worse for sure.
That's not too bad for your first sparring. I've seen guys try to take each others heads off on their first few sparring sessions when they still try to "win" in sparring. I ALWAYS try to find sparring partners who are much better than me or who have much less experience. I've realised that most sparring sessions with equally skilled guys turn into ego-stroking slug fests. You can learn something from that, but I learn way more by working my defense and footwork on lesser skilled opponents and offense on higher skilled opponents.
