UFC 180: Pictures of Leslie Smith's exploded ear following a Jessica Eye punch

A Jessica Eye right hand exploding the ear of Leslie Smith may be the the lasting image for many coming out of UFC 180. The fight was being dominated by Eye in round 1 when she threw a right that connected to the cauliflower ear of Smith, causing it to rupture. A moment captured by the photo in this tweet from photographer Ed Mulholland:

When a right hand explodes an ear #UFC180 @UFC @espn @espnmag #MMA4ESPN Photo: @muls96 /ESPN #MexicoCity #JessicaEye pic.twitter.com/EpP5ZLx73K

— Ed Mulholland (@muls96) November 16, 2014

Smith protested the stoppage, begging the doctor and referee to let the fight continue but, as can be seen in the article's lead photo, her ear was hanging off by the early moments of the second round.

The stoppage needed to happen and Eye deserved the win, but Smith's toughness will be remembered by many. Those who can get themselves past just how gross they found the image of her exploded ear, anyway.