⁠What happened to Ben Askren? Former UFC star's wife announces he received double lung transplant

Ben Askren, former UFC and MMA champion, has been given a double lung transplant following a protracted fight with pneumonia. On June 30, 2025, following weeks of uncertainty and public concern, the fighter finally received a double lung transplant, as informed by his wife.

Early in June, Ben Askren, 40, was sent to the hospital with what was first thought to be a serious case of pneumonia. He was then hospitalized for several weeks, and then in a Facebook post on June 7, Amy Askren disclosed that Ben was drugged and on a ventilator.

Ben Askren's condition got so bad that he required an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a device that oxygenates the blood outside the body when the lungs are unable to.

In a Facebook post, Askren updated the world that Ben Askren had undergone a successful transplant surgery on 30 June, 2025:

“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. It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly."

She went on to thank people for their prayers, as she requested the public to keep praying for Ben:

"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."

She went on to write that Ben himself will give an update on his health as soon as he gets better:

“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.”

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Ben Askren received support from the combat sports world

Fans and fellow competitors have flooded social media with well wishes, as well as the UFC as which included a special segment in prayers for Ben Askren during its June 14 broadcast.

Among them was Askren's former opponent, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who expressed his support following his most recent triumph against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a post-fight interview. Paul stated that he intended to raise funds and awareness of the transplant operation in order to help Askren's medical journey.

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A legendary career

Askren remains an iconic personality in the combat sports world even though he retired from professional mixed martial arts in 2019. Before turning to mixed martial arts (MMA), where he won Bellator and ONE Championship championships in the welterweight category without losing, he was an Olympic wrestler who competed for Team USA in the 2008 Olympic Games.

After his move to the UFC, he had a thrilling submission victory over Robbie Lawler in 2019, then went on to lose two consecutive fights, including a record-breaking five-second knockout by Jorge Masvidal and a submission to Demian Maia. He then retired from MMA in 2019.

Later, in 2021, he engaged in a highly publicized boxing match against Jake Paul, which resulted in a first-round knockout. That was his last final participation in any combat sports.

Askren has now concentrated on coaching, mentoring aspiring wrestlers, and supporting the sport with projects like Hulk Hogan's Real American Freestyle wrestling program.

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