A recent MMA fight in Mexico ended in a gruesomely bizarre way.
José Peñaloza arrived at his Ultimate Warrior Challenge featherweight title bout with a serious case of cauliflower ear – a collection of blood between the cartilage of the ear and skin – which is pretty common for fighters.
However, it was unable to withstand the punishment he took from Dorian Ramos who ultimately walked away from the UWC 43 main event with the 145lb belt.
Both men had their moments in the fight, but Peñaloza’s right ear was visibly swelling during the title bout. So much so that the referee called a halt to the match-up and asked the cageside doctor to check it over.
Ultimately, the fight was allowed to continue but it wasn’t long before the referee’s worst fears were realised when blood began pouring out of the ear like something from a horror movie.
Ramos found himself in top position in round two and began to throw strikes, with some seemingly clipping his opponent's badly damaged ear and causing it to explode.
The referee stepped in for the final time and waved off the fight at 2:57 of round two, giving Ramos a big title win in the Tijuana, Mexico main event.
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Ramos improved his MMA record to 6-1, while Peñaloza dropped to 3-2.
Fighting-ending ear injuries are rare but they don’t just happen in the minor leagues.
In 2020, Ramiz Brahimaj made his UFC debut against Max Griffin but his dream of competing in MMA’s premier promotion quickly turned into a nightmare.
After taking an elbow during round three, it was immediately clear that something was wrong, and he began backing up to the fence before the injury he suffered became obvious.
The referee stepped in and waved off the bout when he realised Brahimaj’s ear was hanging off from the elbow, which his opponent profusely apologised for - even though it was a legal strike - during his post-fight interview.
Thankfully, Brahimaj made a full recovery and won his comeback bout.
The 30-year-old is currently 2-2 after four fights in the UFC but hasn’t fought since February 2022 – he was supposed to compete earlier this year but withdrew due to a neck injury.
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