I’m askinga retired mixed martial arts fighter was hospitalized in a severe case of pneumonia, resulting in a double lung transplant. A month after his wife, Amy Askrensharing her husband’s medical horror, he shared an update on her health in an Instagram video. He claims he “dead four times.”
In June 2025, Amy asked fans for their prayers, and in one of her Facebook posts, Ben said, “The healthiest man I know and I couldn’t expect this.” A few weeks later, he explained in the video, “I don’t know what happened,” he said, “memories, Zero’s ideas, I don’t know what happened.”
“I just read my wife’s diary. It’s like a movie,” Ben said from her hospital bed. “That’s ridiculous. I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.”
See all the updates on Ben’s health below to find out what happened to him.
Why did Ben Ascle need a double lung transplant?
Ben’s battle with pneumonia worsened to the point where a double lung transplant was required. A few weeks before the surgery, Amy updated her fans with his condition. On June 7, 2025, she wrote on Facebook: “You may have heard that my husband Ben is experiencing something. He developed severe pneumonia that came very suddenly.
At the time, Amy also pointed out, “We are currently trying to maintain a normal life as normal as possible for our children and we are doing our best to support them with thoughtful thought, so please refrain from discussing with them for now.”
On June 17, Amy said her husband had a ventilator and was still under sedatives.
“We haven’t shared updates because Ben has been a limbo for a while. We were hoping he would wake up and decide what to share,” she began. “I’ve made me contact the media that I’m about to share an update, and I hope it comes from me. Ben is still supporting him on ventilators and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, lung support system).
She pointed out that “I pray for a miracle with (Ben’s) current lungs,” Amy said the doctors were “initiating the evaluation process for lung transplants.”
Ben Ascon’s health after his double lung transplant
On July 9, 2025, Ben shared an Instagram video from her hospital bed. He was able to speak in the end, and the former professional boxer said he didn’t recall what he had experienced and relied on his wife’s diary to catch up.
Luckily, Ben was able to speak, but as you can see in his video, he still had problems with a slight cough.
A few weeks later, Ben was released from the hospital, he said. TMZ.
Ben Askren’s path to weight loss and recovery
Ben also said that due to his illness and lung transplant, he ended up losing about 50 pounds in 45 days. In an Instagram video he shared on July 9th, Ben said he read the scale 147 pounds.
“The most impeccable thing for me was all the love I felt,” Ben said.
What will be next for Ben Askren after his health crisis?
Ben retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 and has not been in the professional ring since. And after the scary side of his health, he may focus on his recovery and health upon release from the hospital.
