Former NCAA national wrestling champion and mixed martial arts fighter Ben Askren has released his first update since undergoing a double lung transplant after a severe case of pneumonia that hospitalized him for more than a month.
Askren, 40, posted a 2 1/2-minute Instagram video from his hospital bed Wednesday. He said he had no memories from May 28 through July 2, and has relied on his wife, Amy, to find out what happened to him.
“I just read through my wife’s journal, and it’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That’s not ideal, I don’t know if you guys know that,” Askren said with a grin between coughs.
Amy Askren announced June 7 via Facebook that her husband was sedated at a Wisconsin hospital and in critical condition. At the time, she said doctors told her the life-threatening case of pneumonia, which left her husband unconscious and on a ventilator, developed from a staph infection.
The news left Askren’s wife “praying for a miracle.” Then, June 17, she said he was able to open his eyes and squeeze her hand but still required supplemental oxygen to breathe. She said Askren would likely require a lung transplant.
Support poured in for Askren after his condition became public, including money to help pay for his medical costs. He emotionally said in his post Wednesday that the “amazing” outpouring of love he received “felt so good” and “almost felt like I got to have my own funeral.”
“I still remember 30 years ago, when Dave Schultz died. He wasn’t always told — and now people recollect — how much they enjoyed him, how much they loved him. You know, he never got to hear that,” Askren said. “I’m more motivated than ever to sort of keep giving back and to do what I can and help out the best I can help out.”
Askren also noted he currently weighs 147 pounds, having lost 50 pounds over the last 45 days, but added that his recovery is off to a good start.
“(I’m) gaining quite a bit of strength, learning how to use everything again. … I haven’t been 147 pounds since (I was) 15 years old,” Askren said.
A father of three born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Askren led a decorated collegiate wrestling career at the University of Missouri that placed him among the sport’s greats. His 91 pins are the third most in NCAA Division I history, and he graduated with a 153-8 record, including a streak of 87 consecutive wins.
His dominance made him a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at 147 pounds, winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. In both his junior and senior years, he won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s best college wrestler, an award equivalent to football’s Heisman Trophy. Askren also competed as part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing.
An unorthodox style and trademark Afro earned Askren the nickname “Funky” in college, and the moniker stuck with him as he pivoted into mixed martial arts, where he compiled a 19-2 record.
During his mixed martial arts run, Askren won the Bellator Welterweight Championship in 2010 and took the ONE Welterweight Championship in 2013. He briefly joined the UFC in 2018 and went 1-2 in the promotion before retiring the next year. Askren continued to participate in occasional wrestling matches and grappling events, then competed in his first and only professional boxing match against influencer and boxer Jake Paul in 2021. Paul won the pay-per-view main event matchup, his first against a professionally trained fighter, via technical knockout.
“I love you guys. I appreciate you guys because it’s been tough, not only on me but my whole family and my close community,” Askren said Wednesday through tears. “I appreciate everything.”
(Top photo: Danielle Parhizkaran / Imagn Images)
