Ben Askren may have come dangerously close to the edge, but now he’s recovering.
Askren was hospitalized in Wisconsin last month with severe pneumonia, which ultimately required him to be placed on a ventilator. Throughout the health scare, his wife, Amy, kept fans updated with consistent posts on social media.
By June 17, Askren had been sedated and placed on a ventilator, and just two weeks later, on June 30, it was revealed that the former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion had undergone a double lung transplant.
For the first time since his hospitalization, "Funky" addressed fans directly on Wednesday, posting a heartfelt video on social media to share an update on his condition and reflect on his recovery journey.
Ben Askren Details Near-Death Experience And Dramatic Weight Loss After Transplant
In his video message, Ben Askren revealed that he has no memory of the past month and had no idea he had been hospitalized with pneumonia, only learning what had happened through a journal kept by his wife during his time in critical care.
I haven't given you an update in a while and figure you deserve one," Askren said on Instagram. "Whenever this is all the way over. I just read through my wife's journal because I don't remember anything from May 28 to July 2. I have no recollection. No idea. No idea what happened. We'll kind of go through it all. I just kind of read through my wife's journal. It's like a movie. It's ridiculous.
Appearing drastically weakened, "Funky" spoke with a shaky voice as he reflected on how close he came to death during his recent health crisis and revealed that he has lost nearly 50 pounds over the past 45 days.
I only died four times where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That's not ideal. You guys know that. But I got a double lung transplant. I made it out to the other side of it, gaining quite a bit of strength, learning to use everything again. I was actually on the scale yesterday, 147 pounds. I haven't been 147 pounds since I was 15 years old. I lost 50 pounds in a 45-day period. So, man. That was a battle. Obviously, I don't remember most of it.
After retiring from MMA with a professional record of 19-2 in November 2019, Ben Askren returned to combat sports one final time in April 2021, stepping into the boxing ring against Jake Paul. The bout ended quickly, with "Funky" suffering a first-round TKO loss.