Ben Askren shared a tearful thank-you message on Tuesday, as the former UFC star was finally released from hospital after undergoing a successful double lung transplant.
Askren, a former Olympic wrestler and MMA champion, retired from combat sports in 2021 at the age of 36. But this spring, at just 40, the American suddenly faced a complicated health issue.
His wife, Amy, revealed that Askren was battling “severe pneumonia”, and a concerning episode eventually led to the ex-fighter having a double lung transplant.
In early July, Askren addressed fans for the first time since his health scare began, appearing emotional in a video that showed how much weight and energy he had lost. “I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds,” he said at the time.
Now, Askren has shared another tearful update, yet a more celebratory one. Having finally been released from hospital, Askren said in a social-media video on Tuesday: “Day 59, I’m out! With my beautiful wife supportive.
“That was a long journey, and it’s not over because I still can’t really walk. I have to re-teach myself to do that among many other things. I guess I can make light of it because it was me and I don’t really remember it. But Amy how close was I to dying?”
Askren turned to his wife, who replied, “Too close, a few times,” before Askren continued: “I remember [that] I don’t remember 35 days of this journey, but I think surgery was 24, 25 days ago. It was hard. It was hard.”
Becoming tearful, Askren said: “I’ve said this already in one of the videos, but the support you guys gave me – whether it was setting up a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and wife get through it, I had friends come from all over the country just to hang out for a couple of days – it meant so much. It was so great to have all the support and all the love.
“Hopefully I’m not in this situation again for a really, really, really long time; I plan on living a while. So, thank you guys again for all of the positive support, all of the comments online, everything. It means so much, love you guys.”
Askren went to the 2008 Olympics as a Team USA wrestler, before beginning an MMA career in which he won the Bellator and ONE welterweight titles and stayed unbeaten until his final two fights.
His last three fights all took place in the UFC in 2019, as he submitted Robbie Lawler before suffering a record-setting five-second knockout by Jorge Masvidal and a submission by Demian Maia.
Askren then boxed once, facing YouTuber Jake Paul in 2021 and falling to a first-round knockout. He has not competed in any combat sport since.
