Dustin Poirier, Bo Nickal, and others open up on how they got cauliflower ear

Dustin Poirier, Bo Nickal, and other UFC fighters recently described their experiences with cauliflower ear. It is one of the many injuries mixed martial artists commonly suffer from due to their intense training.

Cauliflower ear is a common injury among combat sports athletes, especially those who grapple frequently. Repetitive impact on the ears, such as takedowns, clinch practice, and ground strikes, can lead to this condition. As a result, the ear's cartilage gets damaged, which causes inflammation and fluid accumulation.

The fluid gets hard and takes a distinctive cauliflower shape if not treated quickly. Notably, many fighters choose to leave it untreated as a sign of their hard work.

Combat Sports news outlet MMA Junkie recently took to YouTube and posted a video of asking fighters about how they developed cauliflower ear. Poirier revealed that he was affected by the conditioning after sparring with an individual in the past, saying:

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''I might have just been getting into the UFC and a bunch of amateur fights. I've been fighting for years and years before I ever had cauliflower ear. I was training against a guy and my ear hit his hip. I went to sleep that night, woke up the next morning with a huge purple ear. It was painful. ... Once you get it, it's like a low downhill. It's just going to keep happening." [0:26]

Nickal answered:

''The first time I got cauliflower ear, I had to been about 10 years old...a buddy of mine, we had a race to see who could get cauliflower first and I got it first.'' [4:30]

UFC welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio said:

''When I go to Brazil, I'm like grapping a lot. I start with a lot of blood and one crazy Brazilian man bite a syringe...he not doing the draining, but doing the best way and this what happened.'' [2:54]

Check out the full video below:

Dustin Poirier wants to retire as the BMF champion

Dustin Poirier will face reigning BMF champion Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 318 on July 19, 2025, in front of his home audience at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ahead of the matchup, Poirier spoke to MMA Junkie and expressed his desire to hang up his gloves after capturing the BMF title from Holloway, saying:

''If I can get my hand raised and be the last BMF champion and ride off into the sunset and retire, hey, that’s forever. I don’t think they would ever do it again unless something crazy happened. That would be dope.”

Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below (4:10):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena