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Ben Askren has always been a fighter. From NCAA wrestling titles to Olympic competition to battles inside the MMA cage, he has lived life full throttle. Now, the 40-year-old Askren is in the fight of his life, recovering from a double lung transplant after a near-fatal case of pneumonia, ESPN reports.
🥺❤️ Ben Askren speaks out for the first time.
He saw all of the support 🎥 @Benaskren pic.twitter.com/gwv1Z2WPf1
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 9, 2025
On Wednesday, Askren shared a 2½-minute Instagram video from his hospital bed, his first message since falling critically ill in late May. Between coughs and light-hearted jabs at his own condition, he explained that he has no memory of the past month. To piece together what happened, he turned to the handwritten journal kept by his wife, Amy.
“I just read through my wife’s journal, and it’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous,” Askren said, managing a smile. “I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That’s not ideal, I don’t know if you guys know that.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Askren’s tone stayed witty, calm, and fearless.
A Champion’s Toughest Battle Yet
Amy Askren became the voice of the family when her husband could not speak for himself. On June 7, she revealed on Facebook that Ben had been sedated and placed on a ventilator at a Wisconsin hospital. Doctors said a staph infection had triggered a severe case of pneumonia, leaving him unconscious and in critical condition.
By June 17, there were signs of hope. Ben opened his eyes and squeezed Amy’s hand. Still, his lungs could not function without assistance, and doctors made it clear a transplant might be necessary. That surgery took place on July 2.
Askren has made a career out of resilience. He won back-to-back NCAA wrestling titles at Missouri and earned two Dan Hodge Trophies, college wrestling’s top individual honor. He competed at the 2008 Olympics and went on to post a 19-2 record in MMA, fighting in Bellator, ONE Championship, and the UFC.
Even in retirement, he stayed in the spotlight. In 2021, he took on Jake Paul in a boxing match that sold 500,000 pay-per-views. The result didn’t define him. Showing up did.
Today, Askren is showing up again. With new lungs, a long road ahead, and a spirit that refuses to quit, he’s still fighting.
