08/09/2026
In MMA, Muay Thai, BJJ, wrestling, rugby or any other contact sport, earrings are a straightforward injury risk for both the wearer and the opponent. Most commissions and gyms ban them for exactly that reason. 
Injury to the wearer
The earlobe is just skin and fat with no cartilage. A grab, hook, gi/kimono snag, head collision or even a stray finger can tear it.
• Partial or complete split (cleft) of the lobe is the classic injury. It often needs surgical repair (lobuloplasty). Healing takes weeks and you usually wait months before re-piercing. 
• Studs can be driven into the ear or against the skull on impact. There are documented cases of the post embedding or lacerating tissue behind the ear. 
• Even small, “secure” studs with butterfly backs create a rigid point that concentrates force.
Hoops and dangling styles are worse because they catch more easily. Gauges or stretched lobes tear even more readily.
Sweat + an open wound from a tug also raises infection risk (cellulitis, delayed healing, keloids).
Injury to the opponent
In the clinch, on the ground or during a scramble, an earring can cut or puncture the other person. That’s why BJJ gyms, IBJJF rules, and most MMA promotions treat jewellery the same as long nails or rings: it is a safety and hygiene issue, not just a personal choice. 
Rules
• Unified Rules of MMA and most state athletic commissions: no jewellery or piercings during competition. 
• Boxing commissions: same prohibition.
• IBJJF and typical BJJ/MMA gym policies: jewellery off before you step on the mats.
• Rugby, soccer (FIFA/IFAB) and many team sports: jewellery banned; taping is often not accepted as a workaround. 
Taping a stud is a common compromise in lower-contact sports, but it is still a compromise. In full grappling or striking it can still snag or get driven in. We will not accept taping.
Practical takeaway for training
Remove them before every session that involves live contact, sparring or rolling. Keep a small pouch in the gym bag. New piercings should be fully healed (months, not weeks) before you even consider taping them for light work; full-contact work is still high-risk until then.
Headgear reduces cauliflower ear (haematoma of the cartilage), but it does not reliably protect against an earring being ripped out of the lobe.
If someone in your gym insists on leaving them in, the safest answer is still “no.” The tear is painful, the repair is inconvenient, and it is an avoidable injury.
