UFC Fighters Ears: Risks Fighters Face When Ears Crumple Up
Contents
- Why Do UFC Fighters Have Disfigured Ears
- Why Most MMA Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears
- 1. Boxing
- 2. Muay Thai
- 3. Wrestling
- 4. Jiu-Jitsu
- What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Cauliflower Ear?
- Why Do Some Fighters Skip Treatment?
- What Is The Best Way To Prevent Cauliflower Ears?
- Is There A Cauliflower Ear Treatment To Prevent Ear Deformation?
- Is Cauliflower Ear Permanent?
- Watch This!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Do UFC fighters drain their ears?
- How do UFC fighters get cauliflower ears?
- Does cauliflower ear go away?
- Conclusion
- Sources
Photo by Jindřich Nosek (NoJin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UFC fighters take repeated strikes to the head and spend hours grappling. One of the most visible results is cauliflower ear.
Here is how it happens, how to prevent it, and why it needs fast medical treatment.
Why Do UFC Fighters Have Disfigured Ears
A popular street saying goes: never pick a fight with someone who has cauliflower ear. People with these ears have usually spent years in combat sports.
The deformity is most common in MMA, wrestling, and grappling arts, where the ears are hit and rubbed again and again. Rugby players can get it too.
An ear injury that is treated quickly usually heals well. Left untreated, it can turn into a permanent deformity.
Not every MMA fighter has cauliflower ear, but training without ear protection raises the risk. Cleveland Clinic recommends properly fitted headgear during contact sports to help prevent it.
Why Most MMA Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears
MMA combines strikes to the side of the head with grappling exchanges that crush and rub the ears, and both are major causes of cauliflower ear.
Let's examine how the four main MMA fighting stances affect the growth of a cauliflower ear:
1. Boxing
As we all know, boxing is a striking sport in which competitors constantly pound each other on the side of the head.
A few hard blows to the side of the head can damage the outer ear.
Amateur boxers and many sparring partners wear padded headgear, which covers the ears.
2. Muay Thai
Muay Thai, the art of eight limbs, uses elbows, knees, and head kicks.
Many head kicks and elbows land on the side of the head, where they can hit the ear directly. The clinch also grinds the ears.
3. Wrestling
In wrestling, cauliflower ear is a common injury. Wrestlers constantly fight for head position, so their ears get pressed, twisted, and banged.
That is why you see wrestlers in ear guards that look like headphones. U.S. high school rules (NFHS) require wrestling ear guards in competition.
4. Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling sport similar to wrestling, and many BJJ competitors have cauliflower ears.
A significant portion of BJJ training is rolling on the mats with a partner.
You may get a damaged ear during the rolls because they brush against the mats or your partner.
Some submissions, including the triangle choke, also put heavy pressure on the ear.
Knock-Out Point: Nobody escapes a fight completely unhurt, no matter how big they are. Here is a list of monolith players of the MMA -- Biggest UFC Fighters: 21 Monolith Warriors Of The MMA Jungle.
What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Cauliflower Ear?
Cauliflower ear comes from blunt trauma: strikes to the ear, or the ear being crushed and rubbed during grappling.
A hard hit can separate the skin from the ear cartilage. Blood collects in the gap, forming a pocket called a hematoma.
The cartilage gets its blood supply from the tissue covering it, so the hematoma starves it. If the blood is not drained, the cartilage can die and scar into the lumpy shape that gives cauliflower ear its name.
The first sign is usually swelling of the outer ear. See a doctor right away if you notice these signs after an ear injury:
- Ear pain
- Swelling and a change in ear shape
- Bruising or discoloration
- Bleeding
- Headache, ringing in the ears, or blurred vision
Why Do Some Fighters Skip Treatment?
Some fighters choose not to treat their ears. In many grappling and MMA gyms, cauliflower ear is seen as a sign of experience and toughness.
That is a choice with real downsides: a hematoma left untreated can become permanent and may need surgery later. Draining it promptly is the safer path.
Many well-known UFC fighters have visible cauliflower ears, including former champions Randy Couture and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
What Is The Best Way To Prevent Cauliflower Ears?
Many people believe MMA training always ends in ear damage. It does not have to.
The most important step is to wear headgear or ear guards during sparring and grappling.
Fit matters as much as the gear itself. Many trainees still injure their ears because their headgear is the wrong size.
Headgear that is too small presses and rubs the ears, which can cause the very injury you are trying to avoid.
Additionally, cauliflower ears cannot be avoided by using headgear that is larger than your head. During the exercise, a headgear that seems loose might fall out of position and expose an ear.
Therefore, choose a headpiece that fits your size and is securely fastened around your head rather than one that feels loose or overly tight.
Is There A Cauliflower Ear Treatment To Prevent Ear Deformation?
Yes. If you catch it early, you have a good chance of avoiding permanent deformity.
Cleveland Clinic says providers prefer to treat an ear hematoma within six hours of the injury. Until you are seen, you can ice the ear for 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off.
Ice is only first aid. Get medical care as soon as possible.
A doctor drains the trapped blood, usually through a small incision or sometimes with a needle. Then the ear is compressed with stitches or a special dressing so the blood does not collect again.
Do not drain your ear yourself or let a training partner do it. Home draining can cause infection, and without proper compression the ear tends to fill back up.
Avoid anything that could hit the ear again while it heals. Cleveland Clinic puts recovery after drainage at about two weeks, but follow your doctor's advice before you return to training.
Is Cauliflower Ear Permanent?
Once it forms, usually yes. Cleveland Clinic notes that without treatment the deformity usually becomes permanent in about seven to 10 days.
At that point, the main option is otoplasty, a cosmetic surgery that reshapes the outer ear.
The surgeon reshapes or removes some of the scarred cartilage and closes the skin with stitches. Cleveland Clinic puts recovery after cosmetic ear surgery at about four weeks. Your surgeon will tell you when it is safe to train again.
Watch This!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do UFC fighters drain their ears?
Some fighters do, and some even drain each other's ears in the gym. Doctors advise against this: home draining risks infection, and without compression the ear usually refills. Have a medical professional drain it.
How do UFC fighters get cauliflower ears?
Repeated strikes and grappling pressure separate the ear's skin from its cartilage. Blood pools in the gap, and if it is not drained, the cartilage scars and thickens into a lumpy shape.
Does cauliflower ear go away?
Not on its own. Once it has hardened, it usually needs surgery (otoplasty) to reshape. An otoscopy procedure, an exam of the ear canal, is different: it does not fix cauliflower ear.
Conclusion
Wear well-fitted headgear or ear guards when you spar or grapple. If your ear swells after a hit, get it drained by a medical professional quickly, ideally within hours.
Sources
- Cauliflower Ear: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment, Cleveland Clinic
- Wrestling Uniform Rules, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
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