Texas court hears prosthetic MMA case
Last fall, Jorge De Leon, who wears a prosthesis on his lower right leg, entered a ring surrounded by chain-link…
Last fall, Jorge De Leon, who wears a prosthesis on his lower right leg, entered a ring surrounded by chain-link fence on the Fort Sam Houston army post in San Antonio. Sporting thick, flesh-colored padding on his artificial limb, he proceeded to get pummeled.
The cage fight, put on by the Texas Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Association, was over in about a minute.
“The guy’s reach was incredible,” De Leon recalled admiringly. “He kneed me in the ribs. That hurt. Then he knocked me out with a punch. It was great.”
“He got a black eye,” confirmed Chip Thornsburg, who as president of the association promoted the fight. “He looked cool.”
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation didn’t think so. Two weeks after the fight, it filed an official complaint against the association. A month later, it cited Thornsburg for violating the Combative Sports Law and proposed a $5,500 fine.
The official crime was that De Leon had broken a rule prohibiting fighters from wearing “metal, straps, buckles, necklaces, jewelry or other objects (including piercings) that may cause injury to either fighter.” “The leg would fall under ‘other object,’ ” explained Susan Stanford, a spokeswoman for the agency.
But the real issue, she added, was safety — not just for an opponent who might get kicked by De Leon’s titanium and plastic leg, but for De Leon himself.
“If he lost his balance, he could’ve hit his head,” she said.
Thornsburg has refused to pay: “Not interested,” he said. Last week, the dispute was heard by an administrative law judge, who is expected to release his opinion this summer.
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Not going without a fight
Since 2004, when he lost his leg during his second tour in Afghanistan after a land mine exploded under his Humvee, De Leon has been checking items off his bucket list.
Thanks to advances in prosthesis technology — his current leg features a computer chip to monitor movement — his life has been pretty fun.
He’s hunted with Ted Nugent, he said, and jumped out of an airplane with former President George H.W. Bush. He finished the Los Angeles Marathon in a hand-crank wheelchair and has taken up rock climbing.
After deciding to add a mixed martial arts bout to his list, he contacted promoter Chip Thornsburg, who wanted to make sure De Leon was serious. “Getting punched in the mouth is not for everyone,” he noted. “In fact, it sucks.”
But, he added: “Our position was, if you’re training for at least 60 days, medically cleared and we feel you can compete in a safe manner, we’re going to accommodate you.”
Brooke Army Medical Center agreed to create a special protective device for his limb, De Leon said.
Thornsburg alerted state regulators; De Leon submitted a note from his leg’s manufacturer saying that, although the prosthesis was hard, it could easily be covered with protective foam.
Both promised De Leon would not use anything other than his original limbs to hit anyone. “Nobody wants to get kicked by a prosthetic leg,” he said.
Nevertheless, about 10 days prior to the event, which Thornsburg scheduled for Veterans Day, regulators sent a letter concluding De Leon’s leg violated the rule prohibiting fighters from wearing metal accessories.
“There is no assurance that the prosthesis could be covered with enough foam sufficient to ensure that Mr. De Leon’s opponents are not seriously injured,” Licensing and Regulation Department lawyer Brad Bowman wrote. The state, he said, would not sanction the bout.
Thornsburg, who has had brushes with the department before, claimed a misunderstanding: “We took that to mean they wouldn’t publish official results.” Besides, he said, “I’m not going to pull the plug on a fighter that’s been training for seven months.”
A ringside physician inspected De Leon’s leg and pronounced it “absolutely” safe. An on-site investigator for the Licensing and Regulation Department didn’t protest, so De Leon entered the ring.
His opponent, Justin Ledet, attacked with a flurry of punches and knees. The two fell to the floor. When they stood up again, the beating continued. A minute and 20 seconds into the fight, “The referee asked if I wanted to continue,” De Leon recalled. “And I said no.”
As he retreated to his corner, the crowd stood and cheered; the ovation lasted longer than the fight.
As important moments in amputee rights go, it wasn’t pretty. “My eye was completely closed, I had a broken nose and, of course, my ribs hurt,” De Leon said. Still, he added, it was a fine experience.
“I’m not going to get mad if I get beat,” he said. “Actually, I did get beat. But I’m not going to take my leg off and start swinging it.”