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Ben Askren, the retired mixed martial arts fighter, was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia, which resulted in a double lung transplant. One month after his wife, Amy Askren, shared her husband’s medical scare, he shared an update about his health in an Instagram video — claiming that he “died four times.”
In June 2025, Amy asked fans for their prayers and noted in one of her Facebook posts that Ben “is the healthiest guy I know, and I never could have expected this.” Weeks later, he explained in his video that he had “no recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened.”
“I just read through my wife’s journal. It’s like a movie,” Ben said from his hospital bed. “It’s ridiculous. I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.”
Below, see all updates on Ben’s health and find out what happened to him.
Why Did Ben Askren Need a Double Lung Transplant?
Ben’s pneumonia battle worsened to the point where he needed a double lung transplant. In the weeks prior to his operation, Amy updated fans on his condition. On June 7, 2025, she wrote via Facebook, “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly. He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.”
At the time, Amy also pointed out that she was “trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully, so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”
On June 17, Amy said her husband was on a ventilator and still under sedation.
“I haven’t shared an update because Ben has been in limbo for a while, and I was hoping to have him wake up and be the one to decide what to share,” she began. “I’ve had some media people contact me that they are going to share an update, and I would rather it come from me. Ben is still on a ventilator and ECMO [Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, a lung-support system] to support him while he heals. There are good days and bad, but on the good, they have been able to wean his sedation enough for him to open his eyes and squeeze hands. His body can’t handle coming off sedation too much yet.”
While pointing out that she was “praying for a miracle with [Ben’s] current lungs,” Amy said the doctors were “starting the evaluation process for lung transplant.”
Ben Askren’s Health After His Double Lung Transplant
On July 9, 2025, Ben shared an Instagram video from his hospital bed. Finally able to speak, the former pro boxer said he had no recollection of anything he went through and that he relied on his wife’s journal to catch up.
Fortunately, Ben was able to speak, but as seen in his video, he still had trouble with a slight cough.
Ben Askren’s Weight Loss & Road to Recovery
Ben also mentioned that, because of his illness and lung transplant, he ended up losing about 50 pounds over the course of 45 days. In the Instagram video he shared on July 9, Ben said the scale read 147 pounds, which he hadn’t weighed since he was 15 years old.
“The thing that was most impeccable to me was all the love I felt,” Ben said, before adding, “It was almost like I got to have my own funeral.”
What’s Next for Ben Askren After His Health Crisis?
Since Ben retired from mixed martial arts in 2019, he hasn’t been in the professional ring since then. And after his health scare, it’s likely that he will focus on his recovery and health upon his release from the hospital.
