Ben askren underwent surgery. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Former Bellator and ONE Championship champion and former UFC fighter, Ben askren He underwent a double lung transplant on June 30th, after five weeks of battling severe pneumonia and a staph bacterial infection. The news was confirmed by his wife, Amy Askren, on social media.
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The procedure, performed at a Wisconsin hospital, marks the beginning of a complex recovery for the MMA veteran, whose body now needs to accept the new organs. Amy hopes that, in the coming weeks, Ben himself will be able to report on his journey. Doctors are avoiding estimating a recovery timeframe.
“We are so grateful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant. We are forever grateful 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. It still doesn’t seem real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers as his body embraces his new lungs as if they were his own. I am in awe of everyone who is carrying us through this time. I can’t wait to tell Ben all about it,” Amy Askren wrote.
Ben Askren battles pneumonia and infection
Just a month and a half ago, Askren was "completely healthy," as his wife pointed out. His situation changed dramatically in early June, when the former athlete was diagnosed with an aggressive lung infection.
Pneumonia, combined with a resistant bacteria (staphylococcus), required immediate hospitalization and the use of mechanical ventilation. Given the respiratory failure, doctors resorted to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that took over the function of his lungs while he waited for a compatible donor.
The deterioration was so rapid that, on June 17, Amy was already warning about the possible need for a transplant. On June 24, Askren's name was officially added to the waiting list. During this period, the fighter showed brief signs of consciousness by opening his eyes, shaking hands with the medical team and even gesturing the word 'coffee', although he was unable to drink liquids.
The martial arts community rallied in support. Jake Paul, who knocked out Askren in a boxing match in 2021, announced donations to cover medical expenses. Online fundraising campaigns and sale of T-shirts by the brand Rudis already exceed US$ 100 thousand.
ONE Champion, Bellator and historic UFC knockout
Askren was no ordinary fighter. Before MMA, he built a legend in wrestling: two-time NCAA champion (2006-2007) and US representative at the Beijing Olympics (2008). As a professional mixed martial artist, he accumulated titles in Bellator and ONE Championship, with a relentless grappling style that consecrated him as 'the best welterweight outside of the UFC'.
His arrival at the Ultimate, in 2018, generated expectations, but resulted in a turbulent passage: controversial victory over Robbie Lawler, followed by historic defeats, such as the fastest knockout in history to Jorge masvidal (5 seconds) and a finish by Demian Maia. The American then left the sport with 19 wins and two losses.
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