Ben Askren shared shocking details about his health
10 july 2025 в 17:13
Ben Askren, a former mixed martial arts fighter, was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia, which led to a double lung transplant. A month after his wife, Amy Askren, shared about her husband’s medical scare, he shared an update on his health in a video on Instagram, claiming that he had «died four times».
In June 2025, Amy asked fans for prayers and noted in one of her Facebook posts that Ben was «the healthiest guy I know, and I never expected this». Several weeks later, he explained in his video that he had «no memories, no idea, no concept of what happened».
«I just read my wife’s diary. It’s like in a movie», - Ben said from his hospital bed. «It's absurd. I only died four times when my heart stopped for 20 seconds».
Below you will find all the updates on Ben’s health and learn what happened to him.
Ben’s battle with pneumonia worsened to the point where he needed a double lung transplant. In the weeks leading up to the operation, Amy updated fans on his condition. On June 7, 2025, she wrote on Facebook: «You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed a severe pneumonia that came on very suddenly. He is currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at the moment».
At that time, Amy also noted that she was «trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children right now and doing everything I can to care for them lovingly, so please refrain from discussing this with them at this time».
On June 17, Amy said her husband was on a ventilator and still under sedation.
«I didn’t share an update because Ben has been in limbo for some time now, and I was hoping he would wake up and decide what to share», - she began. «Some media representatives reached out to me that they were going to share an update, and I preferred it to come from me. Ben is still on a ventilator and on ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a lung support system] to support him during recovery. There are good days and bad, but on good days he managed to reduce sedation enough to open his eyes and squeeze hands. His body still can’t handle coming off sedation too much».
Stating that she is «praying for a miracle with Ben’s [lungs]», - Amy said that doctors «have started the evaluation process for a lung transplant».
On July 9, 2025, Ben shared a video on Instagram from his hospital bed. Finally able to speak, the former professional boxer said he doesn’t remember anything he went through and relied on his wife’s diary to catch up.
Fortunately, Ben was able to speak, but as seen in his video, he still had issues with a lingering cough.
Ben also mentioned that due to his illness and lung transplant, he lost about 50 pounds in 45 days. In the Instagram video he shared on July 9, Ben said the scales showed 147 pounds, a weight he hadn’t been since he was 15.
«The most incredible thing for me was all the love I felt», - Ben said, adding, «It was almost like my own funeral».
Since retiring from mixed martial arts in 2019, Ben has not returned to the professional ring. And after his medical scare, it is likely that he will focus on his recovery and health after being discharged from the hospital
In June 2025, Amy asked fans for prayers and noted in one of her Facebook posts that Ben was «the healthiest guy I know, and I never expected this». Several weeks later, he explained in his video that he had «no memories, no idea, no concept of what happened».
«I just read my wife’s diary. It’s like in a movie», - Ben said from his hospital bed. «It's absurd. I only died four times when my heart stopped for 20 seconds».
Below you will find all the updates on Ben’s health and learn what happened to him.
Ben’s battle with pneumonia worsened to the point where he needed a double lung transplant. In the weeks leading up to the operation, Amy updated fans on his condition. On June 7, 2025, she wrote on Facebook: «You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed a severe pneumonia that came on very suddenly. He is currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at the moment».
At that time, Amy also noted that she was «trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children right now and doing everything I can to care for them lovingly, so please refrain from discussing this with them at this time».
On June 17, Amy said her husband was on a ventilator and still under sedation.
«I didn’t share an update because Ben has been in limbo for some time now, and I was hoping he would wake up and decide what to share», - she began. «Some media representatives reached out to me that they were going to share an update, and I preferred it to come from me. Ben is still on a ventilator and on ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a lung support system] to support him during recovery. There are good days and bad, but on good days he managed to reduce sedation enough to open his eyes and squeeze hands. His body still can’t handle coming off sedation too much».
Stating that she is «praying for a miracle with Ben’s [lungs]», - Amy said that doctors «have started the evaluation process for a lung transplant».
On July 9, 2025, Ben shared a video on Instagram from his hospital bed. Finally able to speak, the former professional boxer said he doesn’t remember anything he went through and relied on his wife’s diary to catch up.
Fortunately, Ben was able to speak, but as seen in his video, he still had issues with a lingering cough.
Ben also mentioned that due to his illness and lung transplant, he lost about 50 pounds in 45 days. In the Instagram video he shared on July 9, Ben said the scales showed 147 pounds, a weight he hadn’t been since he was 15.
«The most incredible thing for me was all the love I felt», - Ben said, adding, «It was almost like my own funeral».
Since retiring from mixed martial arts in 2019, Ben has not returned to the professional ring. And after his medical scare, it is likely that he will focus on his recovery and health after being discharged from the hospital
© Smirnova Olga
