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Ben Askren continues to fight for pneumonia. On Wednesday, the former Olympic Wrestler and MMA star revealed that he had undergone a double lung transplant.
His wife, Amy, said in a series of social media posts, which were placed on a fan in June and placed on a donor list for a lung transplant 24 June.
YouTube star-facing pro-boxer Jake Paul took a moment to instruct some praise against his former opponent. Paul described Askren as “one of the toughest warriors” during his struggle with a serious infection.
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Jake Paul stands in the corner during his Cruiserweight match against Anderson Silva in Desert Diamond Arena 29 October 2022 in Glendale, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Cry out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he is one of the toughest fighters of all time,” Paul wrote on X on Wednesday.
Paul’s comments showed up shortly after Askren said he “only died four times” before a lung transplant.
Former UFC -Fighter Ben Askren receives double lung transplantation due to pneumonia in pneumonia, says wife
“No memory. Zero idea. No idea what happened,” Asken said in a video sent to his social media account about what he remembered most from the last six weeks. “I just read through my wife’s diary. It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. I died only four times when the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.”
Ben Askren stands in his corner in front 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)
Askren also said he lost about £ 50 during the 45-day stretch.
“What was most impeccable to me was all the love I felt,” said Asken. “It was almost as if I got my own funeral.”
Ben Askren will attend a news conference for Triller Fight Club’s initial boxing event in 2021 on the Venetian Las Vegas March 26, 2021 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Askren won back-to-back NCAA Wrestling titles at Missouri and competed at the Summer Olympics in 2008 for the United States before moving to MMA, where he fought for Bellator and a championship. Later he turned to UFC Octagon.
Asken stepped away from MMA after a loss to Demian Maia in 2019. He had a record of 19-2 with a no competition.
He has history with Paul. The fighters met in a match in April 2021. Paul won the match at technical knockout in the first round.
