Former MMA champion Ben Askren receives double lung transplant

UFC fighter Ben Askren thrilled local fans with his grappling skills at the Clarke Quay Fountain Square, during the Fight Night Singapore open workouts in 2019. PHOTO: ST FILE

UPDATED Jul 01, 2025, 12:27 PM

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Former mixed martial arts (MMA) champion and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is recovering from a double lung transplant.

Askren’s wife, Amy, shared the update in a Facebook post on June 30.

“We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant,” she wrote.

“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 five weeks ago. So much can change so quickly.

“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. I’m hopeful that in the coming weeks, Ben will be able to give the next update.”

Askren, 40, has been battling pneumonia in a Wisconsin hospital for several weeks. The American went on ventilator support on June 17 and was added to the transplant waiting list on June 24, according to his wife.

Askren won three Big 12 championships and two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championships in wrestling at Missouri, adding gold medals at the 2005 Pan American Championships and 2009 World Championships. He reached the quarter-finals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

He transitioned to the Octagon after his wrestling career and compiled a 19-2 record with one no-contest in 22 MMA fights. Askren became the Bellator welterweight champion in 2010 and made his UFC debut in 2019. He lost two of three fights in UFC, including a five-second knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in Las Vegas at UFC 239.

Askren in 2013 also signed a two-year, six-fight contract with Singapore-headquartered MMA outfit One Championship, clinching the One Welterweight championship title in 2014 after beating Nobutatsu Suzuki via TKO.

Askren made an unsuccessful boxing debut on April 17, 2021, losing to Jake Paul by TKO in the first round. REUTERS

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