Watch: The progression of Garry Tonon's wild cauliflower ears

ONE Championship recently treated its fans to an amusing montage, highlighting the progression of Garry Tonon's wild cauliflower ears. They cleverly juxtaposed pictures of the fighter from different years with a 'strange' new twist.

The caption said:

“What Garry Tonon’s ears looked like every time ‘Stranger Things’ came out.”

WATCH the video below:

Since Netflix released Season 4 of 'Stranger Things', the popular sci-fi series has swept the internet by storm.

Hence, it was only a matter of time before ONE created an original take on the trend. 'The Lion Killer' has one of the most prominent cauliflower ears in ONE Championship. So the idea that Garry Tonon would eventually transform into Vecna, the dark nemesis controlling the town of Hawkings, was pure genius.

Thousands of fans have responded positively to the video. One fan stood out and said:

“LMAO ONE Championship is on their game with these."

Another MMA fan said:

"Garry has the most impressive grappling in mixed martial arts. He subs anyone in the ufc, come @ me."

The cauliflower ears are the result of intense wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jistu training. Having cauliflower ears has produced a type of prestige within the combat sports community - you wouldn't be considered a 'fighter' if you didn't have the battle scars to prove it.

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"Does Garry Tonon have the best cauliflower ears in martial arts?"

A couple of years ago, ONE Championship prompted fans on Instagram with the question: "Does Garry Tonon have the best cauliflower ears in martial arts?"

The caption generated thousands of comments. By the end, fans had reached a dilemma. How do fighters get cauliflower ears in the first place?

Cauliflower ears, as they’re so aptly named because of the way the tissue folds inwards, are the result of direct trauma to the cartilage of the ear and its surrounding tissue.

Often times when jiu-jitsu practitioners wrestle, they spend a lot of time getting out of headlocks or other similar techniques. At the end of each session, they may find their ears feeling sore.

If left unprotected without proper earguards, the ears will eventually become inflammed, and therefore more susceptible to deformity over time.

However, in what is seen as an unpleasant deformity by some, jiu-jitsu practitioners see it as a 'badge of honor'.

Garry Tonon told ONE:

“To a certain degree, I’m proud of it, but I’m not particularly trying to tell everybody to get cauliflower ear. If I could do things differently, I would have taken better care of it.”

Revisit the full interview below: