HOUSTON -- Questions remain regarding Sam Vasquez's autopsy results.

The fighter died Nov. 30, 2007, after a six-week stay in St. Joseph Medical Center's critical care unit following an Oct. 20 mixed martial arts bout against Vince Libardi. Vasquez had suffered a massive stroke Nov. 4, followed by a second "acute" stroke, which required two surgeries.

His death was MMA's first in sanctioned competition in the United States.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office still lists the autopsy results as "pending." According to Beverley Begay, the office's public information officer, results can take weeks or even months before becoming official.

Vasquez's body arrived Dec. 3 in the coroner's office.

"Currently, Mr. Vasquez's pending autopsy result is dependent upon more lab work and information requested by the doctor conducting the autopsy," Begay said.

Drug screenings and tissue samples are examples of additional tests that doctors and medical examiners can request in order to ascertain a precise cause of death, Begay said. Dr. Mary Anzalone, the assistant medical examiner, is in charge of the autopsy.

Stephen Bruno, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation -- the governing body for combat sports -- confirmed that a public report will be released once the results of the autopsy are finalized.

"We also assisted the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office in handing them certain medical information on Sam Vasquez," Bruno said in an e-mail to Sherdog.com.

Federal and state laws prohibit the disclosure of Vasquez's personal medical records.

Bruno has stated that the TDLR is always evaluating new ideas for safety. "As of today, however, there are no changes to be made," he said. "That doesn't mean changes cannot eventually be made."

Vasquez's death was not the first in a sanctioned combat sporting event in Texas.

Rey Hernandez, a 29-year-old Mexican bantamweight boxer, died after a bout in San Marcos, Texas, on Nov. 13, 1996. Though the state did not conduct an official investigation, Hernandez's death is believed to have been a result of excessive weight cutting. Accordingly, weigh-ins for sanctioned events are now conducted the day before the event. Previously they could be scheduled for the morning of a sanctioned and licensed event.

Michael Kuhn's death as a competitor in a Toughman event held in the Bryan-College Station area was the state's first death in a combat sport. Kuhn advised his coach that he felt ill between the second and third rounds of his fight. He subsequently passed out and was taken to an area hospital, where he died on Sept. 20, 2002. His final bout had come a day after a preliminary bout.

Following Kuhn's death, the Texas legislature outlawed Toughman competitions. Again, the sanctioning body conducted no formal investigation.

Records documenting autopsies of Hernandez and Kuhn were purged, said Bruno, because of a Texas policy mandating "only keeping records within five years."