Ben Askren survived a life-threatening illness, a double lung transplant, and four cardiac arrests… and he’s already planning his comeback to coaching.
💬 Drop some love for Funky Ben below.
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Father, what on earth happened to Ben Ascrin? It’s been one of the scariest stories in MMA. In late May 2025, Ben Ascrin was hospitalized in Wisconsin with severe pneumonia from a staff infection. He ended up on a ventilator and then an ECMO machine because his lungs shut down. He dropped nearly 50 lbs down to 147, his light since high school. On June 24th, he had a double lung transplant. During the surgery, his heart stopped four times for about 20 seconds each, meaning he technically died and came back four times. He doesn’t remember anything from May 28th to July 2nd. His wife Amy kept a journal and he said reading it felt like a movie. Since waking up, he’s posted an update. I’m more motivated than ever to just get back and do do what I can and help out the best I can help out. I love you guys. He’s regaining strength and already planning to coach youth wrestling. His true passion, the MMA community came through big. Dana White gave personal and financial support. Even Jake Paul donated $500,000 and praised his toughness. Fighters like Daniel Cormier, Jorge Masal, Henry Ceudo, and Tom Aspenol also reached out. Now he’s recovering and the whole MMA world is behind him. If you’re watching this, send him some love because this sport has real heart. Follow for more.
