Forget the scientific description. Cauliflower ear is when an MMA fighter gets gnarly-as ears that look like they’ve been chewed by a hyena.
Only last year, Leslie Smith’s ear exploded at UFC 180, blood spurting everywhere and the whole thing practically ripped off. But cauliflower ear isn’t a recent problem for MMA fighters. It’s been around since Ancient Greek times, as shown by the Boxer of Quirinal, a 2300 year old bronze statue of a dude with some screwed up ears from bare-knuckle bouts back in the day.
You can treat this shit. But it’s not easy. Cauliflower ear affects thousands of amateur and pro MMA fighters. Here’s the complete guide to it.
Leslie Smith’s Cauliflower Ear Explodes
It’s UFC 180 in Mexico City. The crowds shouting for blood as Leslie Smith takes on Jessica Eye. The Mexicans aren’t that squeamish but there’s some pretty shocked faces as Eye clouts Smith on her cauliflower ear and her ear just explodes. Check this out…
Jessica Eye gets one in then follows it up with another right hand to the ear, maximizing the punishment as Smith’s ear is literally flapping about. Your opponent injured you’ve got to go for the kill:
“When I connected and saw her ear blow up, that became my main target. I was going to keep hitting it until they stopped the fight or it fell off.”
Leslie Smith had been suffering from cauliflower ear for years and admitted that she had be draining her ear for every night for a few years. Fair play to her, she says it didn’t hurt and she kept fighting until the fight was stopped because her cauliflower ear was a messed up as an ear could possibly be.
“I could still see. I still had my hands. I wanted to fight. I’m disappointed. It wasn’t the way I wanted that fight to end. I wish my ear hadn’t done that. Man, that ear was a bummer.”
A bummer indeed, but she’s not the only person to have a cauliflower ear explode in the octagon.
The Madness of James Thompson’s Exploding Cauliflower Ear
Pride MMA fighter James Thompson was on a two fight losing streak when he was pitched against Kimbo Slice, the youtube street fighter who was later pave the way for Dada 5000’s backyard brawl success. Thompson came into the cage with an outrageous cauliflower ear, practically looking like he had a third ball growing out of the side of his head. How he was allowed to fight we’re not sure, but after the pair trade some furious punches, Slice smashes a right hand into Thompson’s ear and literally just pops. The thing just explodes in a flurry of blood and Kimbo Slice takes his street fighting knowhow to pound that ear until the ref stops the fight. There’s been a lot of controversy since, with Thompson claiming the fight was rigged to promote Slice and his ability to spread MMA to a new audience. Even the announcer seems to protest at the decision. But look at the guy’s cauliflower ear. It’s a proper gnarly mess of cartridge and flesh.
Cauliflower Ear as a Badge of MMA Honor
Here’s the deal. You head looks like the elephant man but it’s cool, because you’re a MMA fighter and having cauliflower ear is just part of the deal. Right? It’s like a badge of honor; Even when it explodes there’s something violently cool about fighting on with half an ear. In the cage it’s something to proud of, even when it explodes. But outside the cage it’s looked upon with a grimace, the messed up throbbing of flesh unlikely to get you laid on a night out. There’s been a few MMA stars shouting up about the subject, some trying to encourage amateur fighters to take it seriously and some admitting that there’s not much you can do about cauliflower ear.
“Don’t get cauliflower ear man. If I could take it all back I’d wear headgear…it’s kind of ugly, but it’s kind of a trophy, just know that a long of girls won’t hit on you because of it.” Henry Cejudo, UFC Flyweight.
“The best advice I could say for cauliflower ear is to just enjoy it.” Chris Cariaso, UFC Flyweight.
“It’s like having a black belt you wear all the time. You see a guy with cauliflower ear like that and you really don’t want to mess with him” Daron Cruickshank, UFC Lightweight
Even the female fighters are digging it. Seriously. It’s this badge of honor thing, you get a cauliflower ear and you’re a badass fighter who nobody is going to mess with.
“Honestly, I think cauliflower ear is cool, you just gotta get after it, rub them out…I never got it, but if you do it’s so cool, cauliflower ear is like a war wound, it’s even cooler than getting scars.” Carla Esparza, UFC Strawweight
Cauliflower Ear – Hot or Not?
So it might be a badge of honor but it’s not exactly pretty. For some people it’s the guarantee of unemployment or some lonely night because you’re not getting close to getting laid. So you decide. Is this cool? Is it the black belt that has jackasses running a mile? Or is it some deformed mess?
The Boxer Of Quirinal – Evidence of Cauliflower Ear from 2300 Years Ago
Cauliflower ear isn’t just an MMA problem. It’s not even just a problem that’s developed in the last century. Check out the Boxer of Quirinal, or the Boxer at Rest. He’s a Hellenistic Greek sculpture of a nude dude with his hands in a leather hand-wrap, on display at the National Museum of Rome. Quirinal was found near the Baths of Constantine in 1885, sculpted completely from bronze and reveling in his semi-barbaric stance. It’s dated to 330 B.C. from the time of ancient Greek boxing. 330 B.C? That’s 2300 years ago.
This dude’s face is a mess. He’s got bruises all over, a broken nose, and a mouth that’s full of screwed up teeth. Then look down and you’ll see that his balls are scarred. Now check his ears. They offer the oldest evidence of cauliflower ears in the world. This guy is thought to be a realistic statue of boxers from the time. Archaeologists have been coming in their pants as they heep praise on this “magnificent specimen awaking from a long repose after his gallant fights.” So it wasn’t just the Boxer of Quirinal who had cauliflower ears. At that time, it was clearly a problem for many amateur Greek fighters.
Cauliflower ears have continued to dominate boxing. Cleveland boxer Johnny Farr was a featherweight boxer in the 20’s and 30’s, back when fighters went toe to toe and didn’t pussy about waiting for the call from some promoter. He fought 109 fights and a total 872 rounds. And is lifeless ugly cauliflower ear is the best thing he has to show for it.
So How do you get Cauliflower Ear?
Cauliflower ear is essentially a deformity of the outer ear. It’s something you acquire, rather than something you’re born with. When the cartilage of the ear is damaged or inflamed, then the blood supply from the skin is interrupted. This forms a large pocked of blood called a hematoma. Damage to the ear is obviously a problem for boxers and MMA fighters. Inflammation comes from the ear rubbing against something else. Wrestlers have a huge problem here, as do grapplers and fighters who are constantly rubbing heads together.
“An auricular hematoma on the ear, or Cauliflower ear, is the result of grinding the ear during head pressure and escapes while grappling or trauma from strikes.” explains Mahmoud Fawzy El-Bestar in his report Surgical Treatment of Cauliflower Ear.
Once the hematoma of the ear has developed then the cartilage of the ear can’t get a fresh blood supply. The ear doesn’t have any blood other than what’s supplied from the overlying skin, so it just grows and grows without treatment. The cartilage doesn’t get any nutrients and dies, increasing the rick of infection. Damage to the cartilage means the ear is essentially dead, it’s just a bulbous ball that’s no longer achieving anything. This can lead to a piercing of the ear, something you’ve seen when Leslie Smith’s ear exploded.
Cauliflower Ear From Different Sports
It’s not just MMA fighters that have been getting mangled ears. It’s a problem in many sports. Take a look at Graham Rowntree, the England rugby international with ears that look like they’ve been melted in a cheese toastie machine. He played prop, meaning he rubbed ears with his teammates every time he was in the scrum.
Many rugby props had the same problem. Check out Rowntree’s England teammate, Phil Vickery. He’s had surgery on this and it still looks like some bizarre fungus. Rugby players almost get it worse than MMA fighters, as showcased by Chris Jack, the New Zealand forward who has a cauliflower ear to die for. Is this really a badge of honor?
What are the Symptoms of Cauliflower Ear?
Here’s the deal with cauliflower ear. When it’s developing you can feel it; the ear seems a little strange and you know there’s something wrong. Treat it at this stage and the cauliflower ear might not be a problem. But once the cauliflower ear develops the cartilage is completely damaged. So there’s no feeling there. This helps explains why Leslie Smith James Thompson were happy to keep fighting. It looks gruesome and unbearably painful, but those ears are already dead. Common symptoms of acute cauliflower ear are:
- Pain in the ear
- Swelling of the ear
- Bruising around the ear
- Deformity of the curvature of the ear – essentially meaning that you’re ear looks like a gnarly mess.
When it gets worse then you’ve got serious problems. With severe cauliflower ear you can’t feel it. Here are the symptoms:
- Ringing in the ear – known as tinnitus
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Facial swelling
- Severe bleeding
And if it gets really bad then loss of hearing. There’s no reported cases of MMA fighters losing their hearing, certainly not in recent times. However, there are European rugby players who have lost their hearing due to cauliflower ear.
The Science of Cauliflower Ear
Okay, so here’s the science bit. If you’re not that keen about reading about the why, just scroll down to have a look at some crazy cauliflower ears. Cauliflower ear is also known as hematoma auris, perichondrial hematoma, or traumatic auricular hematoma (there’s going to be more crazy words so just scroll down if it gets too much). As the cauliflower ear develops and remains untreated, the ear contracts on itself and causes irreparable ear deformity. Once the cartilage dies and fibrosis occurs (that gnarly scarring), there’s really no going back. Cauliflower ears are now at risk of auricular perichondritis, essentially meaning that once damaged the ear is always at risk. Doctors say that this is a crucial thing for fighters and wrestlers to understand. It means that once you have cauliflower ear, your ear is permanently at risk for getting it again. The ear is damaged, and even after its treated and looks like new again, you’re far more susceptible to developing cauliflower ear again.
Some Crazy Cauliflower Ears
Check out Rafael Dos Anjos, a UFC lightweight champion with ears worse than shrek. These bulbous things are just pointing out his head, a badge of honor indeed, but does this guy ever get a chick? The Brazilian had had cauliflower ear since he was 14:
“Back at that time, in Rio, with the jui jitsu roots, it was like everyone had cauliflower ear, and it was like cool to have a cauliflower ear. I let it come. I didn’t stop training, and, err, that’s why I look like this.”
That’s good advice from the Brazilian champ; essentially, once you get there’s not really anything you can do about it. It’s particular bad for jui jitsu and wrestling guys who spend a lot of time rubbing heads. Baret Yoshida, the Brazilian jui-jitsu legend also has a disturbingly bizarre cauliflower ear. It looks like the brain has been slapped onto the side of his head, all puffy and protruding.
Square stand up and throw boxers have less of a problem, especially if they’re swingers rather than grabbers. Mike Swick’s also got a nasty bump on his ear and says that his ears flair up pretty much every day. So every night he’s got to stick the needle in and drain his cauliflower ear. In his Swick videos he attempts to show the other side to life as a professional MMA fighter, explaining how some days the ear just swells and you’ve got to drain it. So here’s Mick Swick showing amateur fighters how to drain a cauliflower ear.
Before 2005 there’s wasn’t many people in the world who had heard of Sebastian Lujan, including those involved in the boxing scene. Lujan was fighting against Antonio Margarito when his ear was pretty much decapitated. Caught with a flush right hand, Lujan’s cauliflower ear was practically severed, hanging down lifelessly. It looked like he’d been slashed in a knife fight. The fight was stopped in the ninth round due to the injury but controversy arrived later, when Margarito was suspended for filling his gloves with a plaster of Paris like substance.
Randy Couture’s Cauliflower Ear
But perhaps none of these are as obvious and disturbing as Randy Couture’s cauliflower ear, the MMA legend showing the scars of receiving thousands of thunderous blows to the head. Couture has been fighting for years and is on the MMA all time richlist, so he shouldn’t have any worries about getting laid. But his cauliflower ear really is gnarly.
Preventing Cauliflower Ear
If you don’t want to look like some ogre with swollen ears then prevention is the first step. Headgear is unanimously recommended as the best preventative for cauliflower ear. When searching for a head guard the important consideration is to find ensuring your ears are fully padded and the headguard stays in place. That’s why some fighters prefer simple ear guards for training, rather than a fully fledged wrestling or amateur boxing guard.
How to Treat Cauliflower Ear – Draining
The most common treatment is to have the ear drained of the excess fluid. It’s a tried and trusted technique. You’re going to need cotton balls, tea tree oil, a 23-gauge, 1-inch, 3-mil syringe to drain the fluid. Doctors will always advise that you get this done by a health professional, but hey, most amateur MMA fighters can’t afford to spend an hour at some health clinic getting their ears drained every night, especially, when most doctors aren’t going to have a clue what to do with a cauliflower ear. So here’s a better idea. Get your training partner or train yourself to do it. Here’s a video that explains how…
Once you’ve drained the ear compression is incredibly important. You’ve got to ensure that the ear doesn’t fill up again. Some MMA fighters suggest using gauze on the ear and keeping in place with a binder clip. It’s not so much of a problem during the day. But at night, you’re ear might be getting ruined by a pillow. While you’re sleeping, consider wrapping the ear in an athletic wrap or pressure bandage, or even go to be bed with your headguard on and cotton wool stuffed in the side.
How to Treat Cauliflower Ear – Surgical Repair
Not treating cauliflower ear leads to seriously problems. MMA fighters and medical professionals agree that you’ve got around seven to ten days to sort it out. Don’t drain in this time and the pooled fluid will harden, meaning the ear is permanently deformed. Now you’ll need surgery. Essentially, a doctor peels the skin away from the ear and squeezing out the messed up cartilage. It’s going to cost you to remove the badge of honor, but hey it could be the only choice when your ears start looking like some of those on here.
Advice from MMA Fighters on Treating Cauliflower Ear
Who knows more about cauliflower ear? Some doctor who only gets close to violence when he jerks off to internet porn and the connection goes down? Or pro MMA fighters who’ve been dealing with cauliflower ear day after day, fight after fight. Of course, MMA fighters are quick to point out the importance of keeping tabs on the ear but they’re completely against visiting the doctor. Matt Brown’s ears don’t look to bad; sure there’s swollen but it’s only a blue belt of honor. Here’s what the UFC welterweight says about it:
“You do what you gotta do so you can train another day. You gotta drain it you gotta drain it, but don’t go to the hospital, I can tell you that.”
Brown went to the hospital and within an hour he was talked into going under the knife. Except the student anesthesiologist couldn’t get his ear numb, “so they cut it open, squeeze the blood out, stitch it back together but they can’t stitch it back together and I’m there for two hours…worse pain I’ve even been in.”
Sam Stout, a UFC lightweight, talks about having cauliflower ear from the very start of his MMA career. He’s big on being vigilant and draining the ear properly night after night (although that hardly helped Leslie Smith did it?, but he’s also got a novel little trick for MMA fighters developing cauliflower ear.
“My trick was that while it was healing I slept with my wrestling headguard on, stuffed with tissue paper, so I just kept pressure on it because I felt like it was rubbing against the pillow that makes it swell back up on you.”
But maybe there’s nothing you can do about cauliflower ear. Alistair Overeem, the UFC heavyweight, his advice is to just “not get hit.” Which is sound advice but it’s not as if you’re trying to take a pounding on the ear during a fight.
“You can kind of feel it coming, you know, when your ear feels funny then when the wrestling gear, then it can go away before you actually get a cauliflower ear…but once you get it you’re screwed.”
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