Does Conor Mcgregor have cauliflower ear?
Irish MMA fighter and ex UFC Champion Conor McGregor has a bad case of cauliflower ear. In fact, his left ear is particularly worse looking than his right. The reason for this could be that he’s been punched more in his left ear, which could lead to cauliflower easier. Alternatively, this could be the side that he practices wrestling takedowns and grappling moves on which would also create cauliflower ear.
Why does Conor Mcgregor’s ear look like that?
Conor McGregor’s ears are permanently damaged from years of MMA training. The reason his ears look so weird is that every time your ear gets internally bruised, it can lead to the inner cartilage getting separated from the rest of your ear. This can mean blood may not be able to reach the bruised part of your ear, which means it eventually dies and hardens as a result. As for McGregor, this is fairly common for MMA fighters where they will take big punches to their ears, which significantly heightens their chance of getting cauliflower ear.
Although cauliflower ear can be caused by strikes, it can also happen by friction which is why it’s also common in rugby, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Another factor is down to genetics and luck. It seems that some people are just more predisposed to getting cauliflower ear than others. This could be down to the structure of your ear, or just sheer chance.
Is cauliflower ear permanent?
In the case of Conor McGregor, his cauliflower ear is permanent. However, there are a few details to go over. Firstly, if you catch it in time then you can lessen the damage of cauliflower ear. For instance, if your ear bruises and swells up then it will be sore. This is when the damage is being done and at this point, you can reverse cauliflower ear. Instead of trying to cure cauliflower ear, it’s better to prevent it by using martial arts headgear.
Some people use ice or magnets to reduce swelling which may help limit the damage. Others will drain their cauliflower ear with a syringe which is advised to be done by a doctor. This can literally pull the blood out of your ear which will let the swelling down and your ear will return to normal.
In terms of long-term cauliflower, you can get surgery to re-shape your ears. Although expensive, some people do this if they don’t like the look. For Conor McGregor and his gnarled ears, this would be a possible solution seeing as he’s basically retired from fighting. However, the likelihood is that he enjoys the look. As for active MMA fighters, there’s probably no point in trying to cure cauliflower ear. The reason is that cauliflower ear basically goes with the territory and even if you cured it, it can always return at some point.
