The cauliflower ears of boxers and MMA fighters are the result of direct blows to the outer ears. Blood clots or other fluids fill the space and disrupt normal blood flow. The skin on the surface of the ear is the only blood supply for the cartilage. The cartilage is flexible connective tissue. Owing to sufficient blood flow the cartilage acutely suffers from vital nutrients resulting in cauliflower ears of the fighters.
Successful boxers do not have cauliflower ears:
Boxers may have cauliflower ears. But not as many as MMA fighters. Boxers usually receive less powerful blows to the outer part of the ears as they wear headgear, unlike MMA fighters. Then again, there are instances of boxers suffering from cauliflower ears. But interestingly enough, two famous long-time boxers who fought very intense fights never have had cauliflower ears. The fighters’ names are Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali. Like every professional boxer, they wear headgear. They were very careful boxers to avoid serious impacts generated by blows. However, these two boxers do not have any ear deformity.
MMA fighters usually develop Cauliflower ears:
MMA fighters, especially Wrestlers are known to have cauliflower ears. Wrestlers are more vulnerable than Boxers. This is because wrestlers are receivers of blunt trauma to the outer ear, which causes the deformity of the ear that is called, in other words, cauliflower ears. MMA fighters usually do not use ear guards and padded hand gloves to protect their ears from the blunt blows thrown by the opponent. Because it is not mandatory to wear those things. However, MMA fighters are more prone to scoring a lot of shots to the head. So the ears are particularly vulnerable to being affected and growing cauliflower ears, clotting blood and fluids to stop blood circulation.
Some Successful MMA fighters Not having Cauliflower ears:
Not all MMA fighters have cauliflower ears. There are at least 10 most well-known UFC fighters without cauliflower ears. They are as follows:
- Anthony Johnson 2.Anderson Silva 3. Andre Arlovski 4. Francis Ngannou 5.Israel Adesanya 6.Robbie Lawler 7.Robert Whittaker 8. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 9. Stephen Thomson 10. Weili Zhang. The UFC fighters have weird ears as they look like cauliflower vegetables. There are ways to minimize the damage and make the ears look somewhat normal, but most MMA fighters prefer them the way they are. They do not bother about looks.
Most MMA fighters and fewer boxers develop cauliflower ears. No head protection is worn in professional MMA bouts. Also, they do not wear head guards when sparring. So they are always prone to ear injury developing cauliflower ears.
There are ways to prevent developing it. Wearing the right headgear when sparring and fighting a competition match could be the solution. In combat sports like boxing and MMA fighting helmets not only can save the fighters from developing cauliflower ears but also protect them from serious head injury as well.