is it ideal to attend a class before a sparring session?

i’ve seen a lot of stuff online saying it’s not recommended to train intensely or do HIIT before sparring. my gym has sparring nights (thursdays), and i’ve tried both setups: coming in fresh vs doing a full class before sparring.

when i skip the class and only do a light warm-up (like 10 mins of skipping + shadowboxing), i weirdly feel sleepy, like i just woke up, even though i am moving. because of that, i started attending the 1-hour class before the 1-hour sparring session and just treating the class as my warm-up. there’s no real break in between, maybe 5 minutes to put on gear.

honestly, i feel more awake and switched on this way, but i’m wondering if this is actually okay.

what do y’all think?

– is this fine short-term but bad long-term?

– am i just masking fatigue?

– or is it actually okay if i’m listening to my body?

would love to hear from people who spar regularly. thanks ^^