Why Do MMA Fighters and Wrestlers Get Cauliflower Ear?

Whether it’s in an MMA octagon, a wrestling ring, or a rugby pitch, cauliflower ear is one of those sports injuries that you’ve doubtless seen on an experienced athlete before, though you might have little clue as to how or why it happens. 

Research has shown that among athletes in these contact sports, cauliflower ears are extremely common, with more than 90% of participants in one study suffering from some form of the condition. So why do athletes—in tough, hard-hitting contact sports in particular—get cauliflower ear so frequently? 

What Is Cauliflower Ear?

Cauliflower ear is the common name for what happens if a condition called auricular hematoma is left untreated. 

As that name suggests, this condition affects the auricle, or outer part of the ear, and is a specific type of hematoma—that is, one in which a mass of clotted or pooled blood forms inside the body, in an entirely closed wound, typically due to a broken blood vessel (which is itself often caused by some kind of trauma or injury). Blood seeps out of the broken vessel, but with no open wound or outlet through which to flow, it has little option but to pool and clump together in a single space, forming a hematoma. 

Hematomas aren’t unique to our ears, of course. They can occur in various parts of the body—including just under the skin, in which case we tend to think of them just as bruises. 

When hematomas become larger, or more blood is lost as a result of them, they can become more serious and require immediate medical attention. Pooling blood can even cause pressure to build inside the body, which can disrupt surrounding organs; hematomas that form inside the skull and put pressure on the brain, for instance, can be a serious medical emergency. 

Thankfully, so-called aural or auricular hematomas, which can form “cauliflower ears” if left untreated, are at the less serious end of the scale. Like all hematomas, they are formed by broken vessels that cause blood to pool inside the body. 

Why Is Cauliflower Ear So Common For MMA Fighters and Wrestlers?

In this case, the kinds of punches, kicks, and blows to the side of the head that MMA fighters, boxers, wrestlers, rugby players, and other such athletes tend to experience in their training and competing often cause blood vessels inside the ear flap to break, leading to blood pooling beneath the surface of the ear’s skin. As more and more of this blood oozes out into the affected area, the ear can become deeply inflamed, swollen, painful, and reddish in color. 

In fact, it is this somewhat crumpled, gnarly-looking appearance—rather like the bumpy surface of a cauliflower’s florets—that led to this condition being known as “cauliflower ear.” It’s a term that dates back to the early 1900s at least, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. 

Cauliflower ear might not be as serious as other bodily hematomas, but without immediate attention, the swelling involved can potentially become a permanent deformity (which is why many boxers, rugby players, and other sportspeople often deal with the condition long after their careers are over). 

Treatment often involves immediately icing and cooling the affected ear, and applying a drain or catheter to the ear itself to release the pooling blood and remove any clots. Happily, even if left untreated, however, the long-term effects of cauliflower ear are typically only cosmetic. 

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