Why do MMA fighters have weird, damaged ears?

In case you haven’t noticed, MMA fighters often have gnarled, weird-looking ears. This is a medical condition called cauliflower ear because the ear gets damaged and resembles the outer texture of a cauliflower. Whilst this condition isn’t life-threatening, it is unsightly and can cause hearing loss.

However, it certainly isn’t exclusive to combat sports or MMA either. In fact, rugby players often develop cauliflower ear due to years of having their ears rubbed against and hit by opponents. In this article, we shall look at why fighters get cauliflower ear – and how it can be treated.

Do all fighters have cauliflower ear?

When it comes to getting cauliflower ear, it’s something of a lottery and not all fighters are equal. Some can go their entire careers without ever getting it, whilst others can get awful-looking cauliflower ear early on. There are two factors in getting cauliflower ear

Genetics and bad luck

Some people seem genetically more prone to getting cauliflower ear compared to others. For instance, if you took two identical fighters and put them in the same environment, the chances are that one would get cauliflower ear quicker than the other.

Arguably, this is down to genetics. There is one theory that certain types of ears are more likely to get cauliflower – which is ears that are typically less ‘boney’ by nature. Of course, this is hearsay but a lot of fighters swear by it. The jury is still out whether genes play a factor in cauliflower ear, but if you ask martial artists, it seems to be a popular theory.

Fighting style

Perhaps the most common reason for developing cauliflower ear is due to your fighting style. If you’re a brawler or a rough grappler, then you’re more likely to get cauliflower compared to a fighter who isn’t hit as much.

For example, if you look at a wrestler, they’ll often get cauliflower ear on the side of the ear they do takedowns on. This makes sense, as the pressure on the ear may eventually lead to problems. Similarly, if a fighter keeps taking punches to the ears then they may develop cauliflower ear. However, if you’re known as a fighter who doesn’t attempt takedowns and avoids punches then you’re less likely to get cauliflower ear.

What martial arts are most likely to cause cauliflower ear?

As mentioned earlier, striking and grappling martial arts will cause cauliflower ear. For instance, if you do boxing and take repeated blows to the ears, then at some point you’ll possibly get cauliflower. This may not happen instantly, but over the months and years, you’re risking the chance of cauliflower ear every time you get hit. So, any striking martial art that allows blows to the head and doesn’t use headgear whilst sparring is prone to getting cauliflower ear.

The second style is grappling, which typically means wrestling and BJJ. Here, the trauma to the ear isn’t caused by taking punches but is instead caused by pressure. Imagine getting your head stuck in between someone’s legs, where they squeeze hard for a minute. This could be possible if you get caught in a triangle choke, which could result in cauliflower ear. So, if you train most martial arts then there’s a chance you will get cauliflower ear at some point.

How long does it take to get cauliflower ear in martial arts?

As mentioned, it seems pretty random. In some extreme cases, you could train MMA for weeks and start to develop cauliflower ear, whereas some people can go years or even decades without getting it. As a general rule though, most people will get cauliflower ear after a few years of consistent training.

This is subjective though, as some people get small bits of cauliflower ear that slowly builds up over time. Typically this isn’t even that noticeable from far away. At the same time, some people have very clear cauliflower ear that seems to develop much quicker and is more noticeable. As said, usually most people show signs a few years deep – but it’s more complicated than that.

How can you prevent and cure cauliflower ear?

Prevention by using headgear

If you want a career in MMA and don’t like the prospect of cauliflower ear then you can prevent it, so there is good news. To prevent cauliflower ear when training, you’ll ideally spar with protective headgear. Headgear pads and cushions the ears, so when they get hit, the ear isn’t as exposed. As a result, this will stop cauliflower ear.

In fact, this is probably the best way to stop cauliflower ear. Still, most of the time MMA fighters aren’t bothered by cauliflower, which is why they don’t train wearing headgear. In some gyms, it can even be seen as a sign of weakness and vanity. However, if you really want to train MMA with headgear, that’s your call. The good news is that headgear is very cheap and they last for years.

Fixing cauliflower ear

There are a few ways to fix cauliflower ear and each way has its own degree of success. The first way is to stop it quickly is by noticing your ear has swollen. If it swells and is untouched, then it may return to normal, but it may harden and become deformed. To counter this, you can apply compression magnets to either side of the ear. This should squeeze out the blood and get your ear back to normal. Of course, this only works to an extent but it has solid results.

Another way is by draining your ear. This is something that most hospitals will offer, or you can do it at home with a needle. Talking of which, there are plenty of DIY videos online that show how to drain cauliflower ear at home. This involves pricking the swollen ear with the needle, then extracting the blood.

The issue with this is that many people don’t really know what they’re doing and drain too much or too little blood. This can have bad consequences and actually make it worse in the long run. The solution is to get your ear drained by a professional. If you do this early, your ear should heal fairly quickly and look normal. So, draining by a professional is preferable compared to getting it done at home.

Lastly, you can get corrective surgery on your ears. This is an expensive route but if you’re self-conscious, then it’s certainly a consideration. Here, you can go under the knife and a surgeon will try to carve your ear back to its normal state. This can only be done to an extent, and if your ear is too disfigured then it may not be possible. Still, it’s worth it if cauliflower ear affected your personal or professional life.

Again, the point remains – if you’re that worried about cauliflower then a lot of these problems can be solved by wearing a skull cap. Or, if you’re still worried then MMA may simply not be for you.

How does cauliflower ear form?

So far, we’ve established that cauliflower ear is created by trauma to the ear. However, what actually happens in scientific terms? Basically, when your ear gets hit your blood will rush to the hit part which disrupts blood flow. Therefore, this part of the ear is starved of blood and eventually hardens, creating cauliflower ear.

This means that when the ear swells, it’s probably best not to train or do any sparring. The reason is that you could further agitate your ear by taking even more hits and making it worse. Ultimately, until the swelling goes down, you won’t know the extent of your cauliflower ear until afterward.

Examples of MMA fighters with bad cauliflower ear

Perhaps the most notable example of cauliflower ear in MMA could be seen with Leslie Smith at UFC 180. Here, Smith was fighting with bad cauliflower ear – when she took a hook directly to the ear. This literally resulted in her cauliflower ear blowing up mid-fight. Crazily, Smith tried to continue fighting before a doctor’s stoppage as she could have easily lost her ear. By the end of the fight, her ear was literally hanging off the side of her head.

Other examples of cauliflower ear in MMA can be seen with Khabib Nurmogomedov and Conor McGregor. Both fighters have one ear much worse than their other and show how different styles can get cauliflower ear. For instance, Khabib’s is the result of a lifetime of wrestling and grappling martial arts, whereas McGregor’s is the result of taking repeated punches to the ear due to his love of boxing.

Do any MMA fighters have good ears?

By now, you should have figured that if you’re a veteran MMA fighter, then you’ll probably have cauliflower ear. At the same time, some get it far worse than others. One of the best fighters to go years in the game with good ears is Robert Whittaker. For some reason, the Australian fighter has never really developed much cauliflower ear, despite being in some wars and taking heavy hits.

This is a good example of how some people just don’t really seem to get it much. If you look closely, you can still see his cauliflower ear, but compared to most it’s really not too bad.

Conclusion

Overall, cauliflower ear is commonplace in MMA. This makes sense, considering your ears will take knocks if you train long enough. Interestingly, within the world of MMA, cauliflower ear is seen as a mark of respect and skin in the game, whereas in the outside world it’s mostly seen as an ugly defect.

As seen, there are plenty of ways to prevent cauliflower ear, as well as ways to fix it completely. This really depends on your own take on cauliflower ear – and most professional fighters really don’t care about it. On a final note, if you do train MMA then cauliflower ear is probably the last problem on your mind. There are far bigger issues out there such as CTE, broken bones, and chronic pain to worry about.

If you’re worried about developing cauliflower ear then check out these magnetic prevention buds.