Jesse Vasquez is in serious but stable condition after WCL bout

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Vasquez stable after collapsing
Houston-area mixed martial artist Jesse Vasquez is in serious but stable condition at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., after he collapsed following a World Combat League fight Saturday night. Going into the fight, Vasquez, 33, who serves as director and head instructor for Bushi Ban in Friendswood, had fought nine times as a professional, compiling a 5-4 record. WCL is a team-based MMA organization founded in 2006 by actor and martial artist Chuck Norris.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5569953.html

WCL isn’t quite a MMA league, more modified kickboxing.

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I’m not suprised the rules barely allow fighters to do anything but stand and trade.

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But according to their website that’s INTENSE. And grappling is boring.

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Jesse’s injury has nothing to do with his fight that night. According to a friend of his he won the second of two bouts and actually celebrated center ring with his fellow fighters after his win. He collapsed a few minutes later and was rushed to the hospital. Chuck Norris and the WCL have been very compassionate and helpful and is collaborating with the family.

Thanks for your compassion.

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Is he any relation to Sam Vasquez?

Probably no reason for the link but seems strange

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I don’t think so. Jesse fights for Furia Fight Wear. Here is his profile:

http://furiafightwear.com/fighters.htm

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How do you know?

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A close friend of his that was at the fight posted the info on the WCL forum.

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Care to provide a link to the specific page in the WCL forum where this was said? That would add information to this thread. Without that, it’s hard not to suspect injuries accumulated and finally things went kaput.

Regardless of the cause, I hope he gets well soon and go home with his loved ones.

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I am interested in seeing the fight when it airs on Versus Network to see for myself. Until then, here is a link to the thread in the WCL forum:

http://wcltalk.s4.bizhat.com/wcltalk-ftopic1099.html

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Hm. Too bad. I actually really like the WCL, but don’t get versus so I seldom get to see it. Certainly, it’s not MMA though.

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Well, according to wcltalk forum, Mr. Vasquez did not have a pre-existing condition, but after his second win he was rushed to undergo brain surgery to reduce the swelling in his brain. If there was no prior condition, one could rule out second-impact syndrome.

But being that the brain swelling occured after his second one, and without additional information, one can only concluded, based on what’s been reported in the news and in the wcltalk forums, that this indeed was caused by his previous fights that night.

In any event, thank God is he’s recovering now.

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Wait a second Valis, I just quoted you from the link you provided:

Which forum?

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I don’t remember now, I simply did a Google News search after the incident. All this happened on Feb 23 2008 so I did a search the next few days and posted the info I dug up. If I can find the link I will post it.

EDIT:

Here is the link-

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=736908&highlight=wcl

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Uh, the original article is no longer available, and the few forums that are covering this are pretty much in the air trying to get more info on this. Oh well.

http://gokickbox.com/?p=252

And this from http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/02/vasquez_remains_in_serious_con.html (dated Feb, 27)

[i]Vasquez remains in serious condition
Jesse Vasquez, a Houston-area mixed martial artist, who collapsed following a weekend bout, remains in serious condition at an Oklahoma hospital.

I wanted to pass along some additional details regarding what transpired after Vasquez made his World Combat League debut Saturday night in Tulsa. Vasquez, competing for the Los Angeles Stars, was matched against Eddie Burris of the Denver Fury in a heavyweight fight.

According to WCL spokesman Tony Fay, there were “no dramatic hits” in either of the two three-minute rounds of the bout. Fay described the action as “almost a ho-hum kind of fight,” with neither Vasquez nor Burris in any particular trouble during the all-standup combat.

However, as Vasquez was making his way to the center of the mat following the fight to be recognized as part of the victorious Los Angeles team, he started to complain of a headache and numbness in his legs. At that time, Vasquez was brought back to the dressing-room area, where he began to vomit and collapsed. After receiving medical attention at the arena, he was transported to St. John Medical Center, where he is currently in intensive care.

As is required by WCL regulations, Vasquez was examined by a physician between rounds of his fight. He was cleared to fight in the second round. Based on information I received, I previously reported that Vasquez collapsed between rounds. However, Fay confirmed that Vasquez fought in and completed his scheduled two rounds.

The WCL is working with the Vasquez family to assist in covering the costs of his medical care. [/i]

http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/03/houston_fighter_updates_vasque.html (Dated 03/05)

The 33-year-old Vasquez was taken to St. John Medical Center Feb. 23 after he collapsed following a World Combat League fight. He has been in intensive care ever since. A St. John representative declined to provide specifics about Vasquez’s condition, but said that the fighter was “doing better than he was.”

And that’s all there is about the subject for now.

[/quote]

Sweet, thanks!

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Glad I could help. Yes, many of the news agencies have archived the story; it’s a 3 week old story now and the news is always flowing I suppose. I’ve also posted on the WCL forum asking if anyone has an update on his condition.

It’s always a bummer when a fighter ends up in a hospital. It doesn’t just hurt the player, it hurts the image of the sport. I think the best thing the community can do to support the sport is support the fighter! I am looking forward to seeing the fight on Versus Network and/or getting the WCL Season 2 DVD whenever that is released to see if it looked like a result of his opponents strikes.

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update:

World Combat League’s Vasquez recovering in Houston

Houston-area mixed martial artist Jesse Vasquez, who collapsed after competing in a World Combat League bout last month, has been discharged from a Tulsa hospital to begin rehabilitation in Houston.

The 33-year-old pro passed out shortly after defeating Eddie Burris of the Denver Fury Feb. 23 in Tulsa. Vasquez, fighting for the first time in the WCL for the Los Angeles Stars, complained of headaches and numbness in his legs shortly before passing out. According to the WCL, Vasquez’s condition continues to improve and doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

A fund has been established to help the Vasquez family financially while he recovers. Contributions to the Jesse Vasquez Medical Fund can be made at any Bank of America location or send checks to:

Jesse Vasquez Medical Fund
Attn: Cory Briley
c/o Bank of America
2100 S. Utica Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74114

WCL is a kickboxing-oriented combat organization founded in 2006 by actor and martial artist Chuck Norris.

Source:
http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2008/03/vasquez_recovering_in_houston.html

For what it’s worth, I caught Eddie Burris’s first two fights this weekend in the WCL on Versus and that man is a monster. He had two fights and two KOs, this first fight didn’t even last 15 seconds. So I can only imagine that had something to do with Jesse’s injury after going two rounds with Burris.

(PS - Burris’s fights are up on youtube if you are interested. pm me for the link)