The most famous ear bite in history was delivered by Mike Tyson. On June 28, 1997, “Iron” Mike got a little testy about Evander Holyfield’s repeated headbutts, and took a decent chunk out of his ear. The bout was thereafter known as The Bite Fight. However, Mike was not alone in the celebrity ear-biting category.
Norman Mailer and Maidstone (1970)
Norman Mailer (January 31, 1923 - November 10, 2007), was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker, artist, and actor. Among other accomplishments, he co-founded The Village Voice, wrote one or more best seller in each of the seven decades after World War II, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, won a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, married six times, had nine children, and, relevant to this story, wrote, produced, and directed a film called Maidstone (1970).
The plot centers on a director named Norman Kingsley (played by Mailer) who is running for president of the United State and being followed by a documentary camera crew. Also there are boobies, and assassination afoot. Cost of producing the film bankrupted Mailer. It is not possible that even a single member of the cast and crew was not drunk or high throughout; it’s terrible, worse than Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Battlefield Earth, or Gymkata. However, it has one, single good scene, at the end.
Kingsley is seen walking when he is suddenly attacked by his hammer-wielding half-brother Raoul Rey O’Houlihan (played by Rip Torn). Mailer’s directorial style was to goad the cast with the cameras running, to try to get a real reaction out of them. In this case, it worked; it was in effect a pro wrestling match that turns into a shoot - a higher than the moon Rip Torn determined to kill the director playing the director.
The Most Intense Celebrity Fight of All Time
With Mailer’s wife Beverly Bentley and children watching, Rip Torn attacks him, for real, with a hammer. Mailer responds by tearing off part of Torn’s ear. The pair are fighting furiously, while using their real names. Eventually, with the sound of his children screaming in the background, the fight is broken up by Bentley, who is joined by other crew members.
Despite using their real names, the fight makes it into the film.
What Happened
Rip Torn leaps forward and cracks Norman Mailer in the head with a hammer. Mailer retreats, stunned. Torn says, “You’re supposed to die. Norman T. Kingsley, you must die, not Mailer, not Mailer. I don’t want to kill Mailer but I must kill Kingsley, in the picture.”
Mailer backs up, feeling on his head where he has been struck.
Defending against an impact weapon, like all fighting, requires distance management. In this case, you have to be close enough so the weapon cannot be used effectively, or far enough away that it cannot land.
Mailer, who engaged in several firefights in the Philippines in WWII, may have had some hand-to-hand training. His initial reaction is smart - as Torn attempts to swing again, he closes the distance, overhooks the attacking arm, and secures a collar tie. From there, he instinctively clamps down with his teeth on Torn’s ear. The overhook and collar tie were effective; the Crocodile Kung Fu, not so much.
Next Mailer wisely tries to take it to the ground. Unfortunately, with no apparent wrestling background, he is immediately reversed by the berserk Torn, who ends up in top side control. With no knowledge of even the most rudimentary aspects of the Guard, Mailer hangs on tight to the underhook and head tie, preventing Torn from making room and striking. Then the pair start to talk.
“Trust me baby, trust me,” says Torn. Mailer takes him on his word and releases the grip. Note, if someone is trying to kill you with a hammer, do not trust them just because they say to.
Torn immediately resumes the attack. Mailer tries to turn away - not recommended vs. a trained attacker - then grabs some hair. It was 1970, so there was lots of hair to grab, and eventually frames. While framing creates enough space to get Guard, Mailer didn’t know jiu-jitsu, so Torn uses the space to choke Mailer with both hands. Mailer eventually attempts to rolls away again. This time he is successful, and ends on his hands and knees going for a single, with Torn on top. Then Mailer’s wife enters, screaming, and it is soon broken up.
Mailer’s response would, all things considered, have been textbook if he had ended up on top and secured some form of control from there. Even when he failed to, with a little more knowledge of wrestling, he could readily have used the single to reverse.
In sum, a single season of wrestling, or part of one, would have made a lot of difference to an otherwise pretty impressive apparently instinctive response. So, wrestling is the single most important discipline in mixed martial arts, and is necessary too for celebrity hammer fights.
Mailer’s son Michael, seen briefly on camera above, would go on to produce and direct a large number of films, including the 2009 martial arts documentary Blood and Bone, starring Gina Carano, Bob Sapp, Maurice Smith, Kimbo Slice, and Michael Jai White.