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Former MMA star Ben Askren delivered a health update more than a month after he was hospitalized with a serious illness that required a double pulmonary transplant.
Askren sent a video to social media from his hospital bed Wednesday. He said he did not remember anything from May 28 to July 2.
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UFC fighter Ben Askren Waits at the start of an intermediate weight mixed martial arts match between David Branch and Jared Cannonis at UFC 230 in New York on November 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
“It was like a movie,” he said, adding that he was reading through his wife’s journal to catch up on what had happened to him. “I only died four times when the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.
“But I got the double lung transplant. I came out to the other side of it. Getting a lot of strength. Learning to use everything again. I was on the scale yesterday, 147 pounds. I haven’t been 147 pounds since 15 years old. … so it was a fight. I don’t remember most of it.”
Amy Askren wrote last week that her husband received a donor to the double lung transplant after falling ill in May.
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Ben Askren stands in his corner ahead of his welterweight match against Demian Maia from Brazil during the UFC Fight Night event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Singapore. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“What was most effective to me was all the love I felt from everyone, and it was almost as if I had to be at my own funeral … the outflow of love from the wrestling community was just amazing,” he said. “It felt so good. I’m more motivated than ever to give back.”
Askren recently signed with Real American Freestyle – Hulk Hogan Venture in the hope of popularizing professional freestyle wrestling.
The 40-year-old was a NCAA champion in the 170 Pound Division in 2006 and 2007 and continued to compete for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics. He won gold medals at the Pan American Championships in 2005 and the World Cup in 2009.
He made his full transition to MMA matches when he debuted in Bellator in 2010. He then competed in a championship before he undertook UFC.
Ben Askren under UFC 235 in T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-usa Today Sports)
He defeated Robbie Lawler via submission on UFC 235 before losing against Jorge Masvidal in a high -profile match. By 2021 he fought Jake Paul in a boxing match.
