WATCH: MMA fighter's cauliflower ear gushes blood after opponent slams him with elbows in nasty scene

During the recently concluded UWC Mexico 43, the featherweight title fight took an ugly turn when one of the fighters suffered a torn cauliflower ear as a result of continuous elbow strikes.

Mixed martial arts has entered the realm of mainstream sporting entertainment over the past few years. As MMA fighters become superstars and household names, they're often seen sporting unusually swollen ears. This condition is called 'Cauliflower Ears' and is common among combat sports athletes.

UWC featherweight champion Dorian Ramos recently defended his title against Jose Penaloza in the main event of the fight card on April 28. During the second round of their contest, Penaloza found himself on the receiving end of some very heavy elbows from Ramos. During the action, the title challenger took some shots to the side of his head, specifically his right ear.

With Penaloza sporting a cauliflower right ear, the strikes he absorbed caused it to bleed severely. While Ramos' shots went unanswered, the commentary team can be heard addressing the Mexican fighter's damaged ear just as the referee stepped in to stop the contest.

@bjpenndotcom shared a video of the gruesome scene on Twitter, captioned:

"Fighters cauliflower ear explodes leading to TKO stoppage at UWC 43."

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Cauliflower ear in MMA: Surgeon explains the phenomenon

MMA fighters and other combat sports practitioners aren't usually shy about flaunting their cauliflower ears and consider them to be battle scars meant to be shown off with pride. Even retired fighters are often seen sporting their cauliflower ears proudly, undoubtedly a constant reminder of their wars in the cage or ring.

Also known as 'perichondrial hematomas', cauliflower ears are generally caused by repeated blunt-force trauma to the side of the head, which causes blood clots that lead to swelling. These blood clots cause tissue damage, leading to ears having a lumpy appearance resembling a cauliflower.

The process of how one gets a cauliflower ear was brilliantly broken down by the well-known MMA surgeon Dr. David Abbasi. He explained why it's crucial to remove the "fluid" from the affected ear to prevent it from hardening inside.

In a video uploaded to Twitter, Dr. Abbasi reacted to a video of an athlete getting his ear "drained" and explained:

"This is an example of draining a cauliflower ear. Now this usually occurs in grappling sports like wrestling and jiu-jitsu when trauma to the ear causes the skin and blood supply to separate from the cartilage. If you don't drain it right away, it can scar up and harden."