Martial Arts Fighter Dies

This weekend was very sad for fans of Sam Vasquez of Houston, who died in a hospice about six weeks after he was injured in a sanctioned bout, a rare fatality for a combat sport that is growing in popularity.

Sam Vasquez, 35, was injured at the Toyota Center on Oct. 20 and died Friday. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Vasquez's death, but spokeswoman Stacey Mitchell said it could be several days before the official cause is determined.

Mixed martial-arts fighting, a free-for-all combination of judo, boxing, karate, Muay Thai, kickboxing, tae kwon do, jiujitsu and wrestling, has grown in popularity and attracted large pay-per-view television audiences.

To broaden its fan base, the sport has limited the violence, attracting new fans without alienating its original hard-core base.

Vasquez was hospitalized after he was knocked out by Vince Libardi of San Antonio in the third round of a fight at the Renegades Extreme Fighting show. He lost consciousness and suffered a seizure.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which sanctioned the fight, said it investigated the incident immediately after the fight. The agency examined the pre-fight requirements, the activity during the bout and the way emergency medical workers responded to Vasquez's injury.