RESPECT THE EARS

 If you've been around the game then you already know: it's not the guys with the muscles and the tribal tattoos that you have to watch out for. 

"Cauliflower ear is an irreversible condition that occurs when the external portion of the ear is hit and develops a blood clot or other collection of fluid under the perichondrium. This separates the cartilage from the overlying perichondrium that supplies its nutrients, causing it to die and resulting in the formation of fibrous tissue in the overlying skin. As a result, the outer ear becomes permanently swollen and deformed, resembling a cauliflower." - Wikipedia

To the general population cauliflower ear may look like a deformity, but we at Black Market Jiu-Jitsu know it only means one thing: time on the mat. Show me a guy with some messed up ears and I'll show you a guy who has dedicated whole swaths of his life to the grind.

Is it a good thing? Should you want a little case of cauliflower? Probably not. There are even people who will tell you that good Jiujiteiros - those who roll smooth, always favoring technique over power - make it through with their sound holes unscathed. Then again: this life isn't for everyone, and like it or not cauliflower ear stands as a de facto emblem demarcating the initiates from the general population. As one of my coaches used to say: "Cauliflower ear is a tattoo you have to earn."

Or, as another one of my coaches used to put it: "Cauliflower ear is your mane! It lets the other lions know not to f*ck with you!"

Live the life. Rep the culture. Get the shirt here (red) and here (blue).