Fans of MMA fighter Ben Askren were surprised this week after the former UFC star shared a very personal and emotional message from his hospital bed. His face was worn down, his voice was cool, and his words were hard to forget. What happened to him was serious, so serious that even he doesn’t remember an entire month of his life. He only found out later by reading what his wife wrote in her journal. The truth? Ben Askren nearly died,multiple times and now he’s finally talking about it.
What happened to Ben Askren during his lung failure in June 2025
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Ben Askren posted a video from his hospital room to his verified Instagram account. In the video, the 40-year-old described how he was fighting for his life last month after coming down with a horrible case of pneumonia. It deteriorated so badly that he ended up needing a double lung transplant to survive.He also said he does not remember anything from the entire month of June. It wasn’t until he read the notes that his wife Amy wrote that he realized how close to death he really was. “I basically died four times,” Ben Askren said in the video. “My heart stopped for 20 seconds. Not ideal, I don’t know if you guys know that.”Doctors were able to save him, but it took major surgery. The lung transplant was done in late June at a hospital in Wisconsin, where he’s still recovering.
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How Ben Askren’s weight dropped to high school level after 45 days in hospital
Ben Askren also mentioned that he dropped 50 pounds while he was in the hospital. He had not weighed 147 pounds since he was 15 years old when he stepped on the scale again this week.He joked, “I haven’t been this light since high school wrestling. That’s kind of crazy.”Now in recovery, Ben Askren is slowly regaining his strength. He thanked his fans, his doctors, and most of all, his wife Amy for being by his side through the entire fight. The former Bellator and UFC star’s health update has drawn love and support from the entire MMA community across the U.S.Many fans and fellow fighters called his comeback a miracle, praising his resilience and determination to survive despite the odds. His story continues to inspire people far beyond the sport.