Autopsy results on Sam Vasquez, a Houston mixed martial arts fighter who died on November 30, confirm that the cause of death was a severe brain injury suffered in an October 20 bout. Vasquez, who was fighting professionally for the third time, is the only competitor ever to die from injuries sustained in a sanctioned MMA fight in the United States.Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle reports:
The official ruling from the medical examiner's office stated that Vasquez died of "complications from blunt trauma to the head with subdural hemorrhage." Due to a significant backlog of cases at the medical examiner's office, it took four months to complete the necessary tests to determine definitively the cause of death.
A subdural hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel bursts and blood builds up between the brain and its outer lining, which exerts pressure on the brain.
Most subdural hemorrhages are triggered by impact to the head, resulting from a car accident or severe fall. It's an injury rarely seen in mixed martial arts.
Sievert quotes sports medicine specialist Dr. Johnny Benjamin as saying, "This type of injury is common in the 'regular world,' say when a person falls and hits their head, especially someone on a blood thinner. But in combat sports, this injury is very, very rare."
Vasquez was hospitalized after he was knocked out by Vince Libardi in the third round of their fight. He suffered a seizure after the fight and suffered a massive stroke while hospitalized. He was 35 years old and was survived by a wife and 7-year-old son.Latest UFC Photos
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Ultimate Fighting champion and cast member Randy Couture arrives for the premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film "Redbelt," at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 7, 2008. The film, written and directed by David Mamet, opens in the US on May 9. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
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Ultimate Fighting champion and cast member Randy Couture arrives for the premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film "Redbelt," at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 7, 2008. The film, written and directed by David Mamet, opens in the US on May 9. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
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Ultimate Fighting champion and cast member Randy Couture arrives for the premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film "Redbelt," at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 7, 2008. The film, written and directed by David Mamet, opens in the US on May 9. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
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NBA Player Shaquille O'Neal and UFC fighter Chuck Liddell at Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XIV at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on April 5, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona..Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XIV - Audience.JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.Scottsdale, AZ United States.April 5, 2008.Photo by Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com..To license this image (15697400), contact WireImage.com
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Students watch Rudy Lindsey, owner of Garage Boys Fight Crew, and his partner during ultimate fighting practice in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Lindsey has several students between the ages of six and 14 that train at his facility.(AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Gage Bloomer, 8, straps on his head gear before participating in ultimate fighting practice at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Nick Jones, 14, practices at the Garage Boys Fight Crew facility in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Jones is one of several kids training for ultimate fighting in southwest Missouri. The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Larry Swinehart watches his children practice ultimate fighting practice at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Swinehart has two boys and a girl that participate in workouts at the facility in southwest Missouri. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Eli Lindsey, eight, top, spars with Gage Bloomer, eight, during practice at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Lindsey and Bloomer train at the facility in southwest Missouri for ultimate fighting events.(AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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Skyler Bloomer, 11, does chin-ups during a training session at Garage Boys Fight Crew in Carthage, Mo, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Bloomer and several other kids are training to compete in ultimate fighting tournaments.(AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
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