BRUTALITY…
MMA and combat sports are inherently dangerous, no doubt. Among the numerous dangers included in fighting are getting punched, kicked, kneed or elbowed, and also choked to sleep. Arms and legs get broken too.
Often overlooked, and probably much more rare, is the exploding cauliflower ear. Caused by grappling mainly, the condition is a build up of fluid in the ear that has a very particular look.
Cauliflower Ear
Perhaps the most famous cauliflower ear ever is that of former UFC champion Randy Couture. We’ve seen them explode in the UFC before, notably in the case of female bantamweight Leslie Smith.
Today’s shocking video is courtesy of Zombie Prophet on Twitter. You may need to watch it over just to get the full effect of how truly gruesome this injury is.
Check out this poor guy’s ear exploding in to the air as he gets knocked out at the same time:
cauliflower ear goes boom pic.twitter.com/r2cC09gF1q
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) 4 April 2017
Nasty!
Leslie Smith
Back at UFC 180 in Mexico City, the very same incident happened to Leslie Smith. Facing Jessica Eye in a three round bout, Smith’s ear would burst in a graphic moment in the octagon.
Thinking about it, this perhaps isn’t such a rare injury after all. Remember when Kimbo Slice exploded James Thompson’s cauliflower ear during the Elite XC days?
But Wait, There’s More
Although we hadn’t thought too much about this gross subject in the past, today’s article has brought up a few gross memories. When Kazushi Sakuraba faced Marius Zaromskis in DREAM, his ear was literally torn right off.
The Pride FC legend lost the bout by TKO due to the injury, which was caused by the ropes in the ring catching his ear. Just remember, if you have cauliflower ear, it’s probably best to drain that sh*t before fighting anyone.
