UFC star Bo Nickal says he always wanted cauliflower ear because ‘the toughest guys’ he knew had it

While most people might consider cauliflower ear an injury, Bo Nickal saw it as a goal.

The UFC star said in the latest episode of the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast that, growing up around fighters, he viewed the sport’s recognizable badge of toughness as something to aspire to.

“I always wanted it,” Nickal told Hannity, pointing to others in his life who had cauliflower ear.

The three-time NCAA wrestling champion said he fell in love with wrestling at a young age. While his mother wasn’t thrilled about her son gravitating toward combat sports, Nickal said the tough wrestlers and fighters around him became some of his earliest role models.

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UFC fighter Bo Nickal sits down with Fox News host Sean Hannity to discuss his influences, his time in the Octagon and his early desire to earn “cauliflower ear” as a badge of honor. (‘Hang Out with Sean Hannity’/Screengrab)

“I wanted [cauliflower ear] because the toughest guys I know all have cauliflower ear. I want to be like that,” he said.

“My grandpa had cauliflower ears and stuff like that, so everybody that I saw that I looked up to… they all had mangled ears, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna have those too.'”

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A close-up of a “cauliflower ear” on MMA fighter Ryan Vaccaro at Louis Neglia Presents Proving Grounds Amateur MMA at Essex County College in Newark, N.J., on Jan. 24, 2009. (David S. Holloway/Getty Images)

“Cauliflower ear” refers to a permanent outer-ear deformity resulting from repeated blunt trauma. Health experts say the phenomenon occurs when a hematoma, or bruise, forms in the outer ear and disrupts the cartilage’s blood supply, eventually prompting fibrocartilaginous overgrowth.

Nickal’s conversation with Hannity traced his path from a blue-collar upbringing and youth wrestling mats to the UFC Octagon, including the influences that have shaped his career.

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Nickal will face Kyle Daukaus in the ring on June 14 as part of UFC Freedom 250 on the White House’s South Lawn.

“Hannity” fans can check out the latest podcast episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and more.