What is wrong with the MMA fighters' ears?

Question

My husband and I have been watching the MMA fights and we noticed that they have strange looking ears. They look like 'cauliflower' ears. What's up with that?

Answer 1

Lol..Its called "Cauliflower ear". And you see it on mixed martial fighters, wrestlers, boxers, pretty much any sport where you can get your ear hit. What happens is If the external portion of the ear suffers a blow, a blood clot or other fluid may collect under the perichondrium. This separates the cartilage from the overlying perichondrium that is its source of nutrients, causing the cartilage to die. This leads to a formation of fibrous tissue in the overlying skin. When this happens, the outer ear becomes permanently swollen and deformed, thus resembling a cauliflower. And it looks like what you have been seeing on TV..My cousin has it, I always make fun of him!!

Answer 2

Lol you just answered your own question. They are cauliflower ears. They get them from getting punched in the ears.

Answer 3

Cauliflower ear sucks balls. A bunch of my friends and coaches have it. It is painful and ugly. When you get it you better get it drained. Then you should consider surgery.

Answer 4

Cauliflower ear is something that people like mma fighters, wrestler etc get from training so much and having there ears banged up to much.  (being hit, rubbed, dragged) etc eventually causes them to bloat up like that.  Usually you just gotta wait it out and they become normal.  Thats why if you've ever seen olympic wrestling or even high school wrestling they wear head gear so that there ears dont get banged around

Answer 5

well thats what they do call it - cauliflower ear. Its just from years of abuse, constantly being hit and bruised and crushed and sometimes even bitten I  imagine.

Answer 6

It's because the cartilage in ears doesn't heal when it gets deformed from all the hitting and rubbing and abuse they take in martial arts

Answer 7

You are correct. Alot of the fighters have cauliflower ear. It is caused from burst blood vessels in the outer ear cartilidge. The fighters get them from various things, mostly due to their experience in collegiate or high school wrestling, grappling and getting hit in the ear.