Sam Vasquez
Encyclopedia
Mixed martial arts
(MMA) in the United States
was sanctioned under Unified Rules in the states of New Jersey
and Nevada
in 2001. By 2011, 45 US states had sanctioned the sport.
As of March 2011, there have been two recorded deaths resulting from sanctioned contests, the death of Sam Vasquez in Texas on 30 November 2007, and that of Michael Kirkham in South Carolina on June 28, 2010. Both fighters died of cerebral hemorrhage.
Because of the young age of the sport and the small number of fatalities to date, little statistical inference can be drawn. A 2006 study suggests that the risk of injury in general in MMA is comparable to that in professional boxing
. For professional boxing matches, the Manuel Velazquez Boxing Fatality Collection
lists 923 deaths during the 118 year period of 1890-2007.
Vasquez lost consciousness shortly thereafter and was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center's Critical Care Unit. He was diagnosed with a subdural hemorrhage for which a section of the skull bone was removed to allow the brain to swell without compressing it. Additional swelling led to the placement of a tube that allows the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) to be drained out of the cavities in the brain to make room for more swelling as well as to allow the monitoring of pressure in the brain. He slipped into a coma for 48 hours until he died on 30 November.
Vasquez's death was officially ruled as a death due to complications of blunt trauma of the head with a subdural hemorrhage.
Vasquez is the first fighter to die from injuries sustained in sanctioned mixed martial arts competition in North America. He was married and had a 7-year-old son at the time of his death.
Kirkham was contesting his first professional MMA match.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
(MMA) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was sanctioned under Unified Rules in the states of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in 2001. By 2011, 45 US states had sanctioned the sport.
As of March 2011, there have been two recorded deaths resulting from sanctioned contests, the death of Sam Vasquez in Texas on 30 November 2007, and that of Michael Kirkham in South Carolina on June 28, 2010. Both fighters died of cerebral hemorrhage.
Because of the young age of the sport and the small number of fatalities to date, little statistical inference can be drawn. A 2006 study suggests that the risk of injury in general in MMA is comparable to that in professional boxing
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
. For professional boxing matches, the Manuel Velazquez Boxing Fatality Collection
Manuel Velazquez
Manuel Velazquez was a 20th-century anti-boxing activist who kept meticulous files on boxing-related deaths.-Early life:...
lists 923 deaths during the 118 year period of 1890-2007.
Sam Vasquez
On 20 October 2007, Sam Vasquez (b. 1972) competed in a Renegades Extreme Fighting bout in Houston, losing the fight in the third round by way of technical knockout.Vasquez lost consciousness shortly thereafter and was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center's Critical Care Unit. He was diagnosed with a subdural hemorrhage for which a section of the skull bone was removed to allow the brain to swell without compressing it. Additional swelling led to the placement of a tube that allows the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) to be drained out of the cavities in the brain to make room for more swelling as well as to allow the monitoring of pressure in the brain. He slipped into a coma for 48 hours until he died on 30 November.
Vasquez's death was officially ruled as a death due to complications of blunt trauma of the head with a subdural hemorrhage.
Vasquez is the first fighter to die from injuries sustained in sanctioned mixed martial arts competition in North America. He was married and had a 7-year-old son at the time of his death.
Michael Kirkham
30-year old Michael Kirkham was knocked out and never regained consciousness at Dash Entertainment/King MMA “Confrontation at the Convocation Center” in Aiken, South Carolina on June 28, 2010. He was pronounced dead two days after the fight.Kirkham was contesting his first professional MMA match.