Former UFC fighter Ben Askren, 40, has undergone a double lung transplant after being hospitalized in Wisconsin with severe pneumonia.
Idman.biz, citing BBC Sport, reports that just five weeks prior, Askren was reportedly in good health. His wife, Amy, shared that he was placed on a ventilator and added to the transplant list earlier this month.
“We are forever thankful to the donor and his family,” she wrote on Facebook. “Every new day is a gift.”
Askren’s condition worsened after a staph infection led to pneumonia. On Saturday, Jake Paul, who beat Askren in a 2021 boxing match, called for donations to support his recovery.
A former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion, Askren was also a two-time NCAA wrestling champion and a 2008 Olympian. He joined the UFC in a rare 2018 trade involving Demetrious Johnson and retired in 2019 with a 19-2-1 MMA record. He now runs a wrestling academy and has three children.
Idman.biz
