Ben Askren has received a double lung transplant as the former champion continues a long road to recovery.
His wife, Amy Askren, posted the following update on Facebook regarding his health status:
We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant. We are forever thankful to the donor and his family. This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift,” Amy wrote this morning. “It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own. I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now. I can’t wait to tell Ben all about It. I’m hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off.
Askren has been hospitalized for weeks and was transported from Nevada to his home state of Wisconsin, where he continues to be under doctor’s care.
The former ONE champion and UFC fighter contracted severe pneumonia and a staph infection, which affected his lungs.
Last week, Amy Askren stated that Askren was on the lung transplant list, and many within combat sports were rallying around Askren and the financial needs for such a procedure. Jake Paul addressed the situation during his post-fight speech on Saturday after defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Askren was a two-time NCAA Division I champion at the University of Missouri at 174 pounds and a member of the men’s wrestling team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed in MMA from 2009 until 2019 with a record of 19-2 with one no contest and held the ONE Welterweight Championship for over three years before joining the UFC.
