Sam Vasquez

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Sam Vasquez (1972 – November 30, 2007) was an American Mixed Martial Arts Fighter. He resided in Houston, Texas until his death.

Death

On October 20 Vasquez faced Vince Libardi in a Renegades Extreme Fighting bout. In the third round the fight ended by referee stoppage. He lost consciousness shortly thereafter and was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit. It was reported that Sammy had a pre-existing blood clot and underwent surgery to remove it. Vasquez then suffered another blood clot; fluid entered his brain and he had a stroke and slipped into a coma for 42 days until he died. Vasquez became the third fighter to die in a MMA bout, but is the first fighter to die in a state sanctioned MMA fight. Vasquez joins Douglas Dedge who died in an unsanctioned Ukraine event. Dedge was unable to be medically cleared in the US due to a pre-existing heart condition. "Korea witnessed its first MMA related death at a Gimme 5 event (now known as Neofight) in 2005. The cause of death was due to brain hemorrhaging after the fight, but many blamed the death on the promotion’s inadequate medical standards"Sherdog.com

Personal Life

Sammy was married with a 7-year-old son.

References

• Yahoo news story
• Associated Press story