Ben Askren’s Unexpected Battle: From UFC Glory to Fighting for His Life
It's easy to remember Ben Askren as the brash, confident fighter with wild wrestling hair, always ready to take on the toughest challenges inside the cage. What no one saw coming, though, was the battle he’d face far from the bright lights—one that threatened his life in ways no title bout ever could. When pneumonia struck Askren in early June 2025, no one expected it would cascade into a health crisis that would push his body to its absolute limit.
Askren, now 40, was admitted to the hospital on June 7 after struggling to breathe. Despite being an Olympic-level athlete and still in good shape years after his retirement in 2019, the infection tore through him. Within days, the pneumonia worsened, making it nearly impossible for his lungs to do their job. His body rebelled, and he discovered just how fragile even the toughest among us can be.
A Near-Death Ordeal and the Gift of New Lungs
Things hit a breaking point fast. By June 24, Askren’s condition was so critical that doctors put him on the transplant list. He wasn’t just sick—he was fighting for every breath. In those weeks, his body wasted away; Ben lost about 50 pounds, leaving him at 147 pounds, a weight he hadn’t seen since his teens. Muscle, strength, and hope seemed to slip away. But the scariest moments weren’t just about weight loss. Four separate times, Askren’s heart stopped during his hospital stay—each time for a harrowing 20 seconds. Imagine the terror of realizing you’re one skipped heartbeat away from leaving it all behind.
His wife Amy didn’t leave his side. Throughout this ordeal, she kept friends and fans updated about her husband’s fight. Her updates sometimes sounded technical, but the emotion always bled through. When the double lung transplant came through on June 30, it was a rush of relief—but only the start of a new, uncertain chapter.
Recovery after a transplant is not a finish line. It’s the start of a brand-new race, and not the kind with medals. Askren’s immune system is suppressed to keep his body from rejecting these precious new organs. Every cough, every bug in the air, can be a threat. He now talks about his journey with clear gratitude for his donor family—unknown, but lifesaving—and for the chance to hold his family, walk outside, and just breathe.
- Askren survived four near-fatal heart stoppages during the crisis.
- He lost 50 pounds in just 45 days while fighting pneumonia.
- Doctors fast-tracked him onto the transplant list as his condition declined.
- His wife Amy says the operation marks a new reality and lifestyle for Ben.
For Askren, each breath now is a hard-won victory. He’s not talking about fighting for belts anymore, but about fighting for life, for recovery, and for making sense of his second chance. It’s a story a lot of his fans never saw coming, but one that shows the real strength lying beneath all those years in the cage. Amy calls the recovery a ‘gift,’ even as the emotional scars of those near-misses linger. For Ben Askren, a fighter in every sense, the next round is about living, healing, and respecting the unexpected turns life can throw at you.
