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Ben Askren continues to battle pneumonia. On Wednesday, the former Olympic wrestler and MMA star revealed he had undergone a double lung transplant.
His wife, Amy, said in a series of social media posts Askren was placed on a ventilator in June and placed on a donor list for a lung transplant June 24.
YouTube star-turned pro boxer Jake Paul took a moment to direct some praise toward his former opponent. Paul described Askren as “one of the toughest fighters” during his battle with a serious infection.
“Shout out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters of all time,” Paul wrote on X Wednesday.
Paul’s comments surfaced shortly after Askren said he “only died four times” before a lung transplant.
FORMER UFC FIGHTER BEN ASKREN RECEIVES DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT DUE TO PNEUMONIA BATTLE, WIFE SAYS
“No recollection. Zero idea. No idea what happened,” Askren said in a video posted to his social media account about what he recalled most from the past six weeks. “I just read through my wife’s journal. It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.”
Askren also said he lost roughly 50 pounds during the 45-day stretch.
“The thing that was most impeccable to me was all the love I felt,” Askren said. “It was almost like I got to have my own funeral.”
Askren won back-to-back NCAA wrestling titles at Missouri and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics for the U.S. before moving to MMA, where he fought for Bellator and ONE Championship. He later pivoted to the UFC octagon.
Askren stepped away from MMA after a loss to Demian Maia in 2019. He had a record of 19-2 with one no contest.
He does have history with Paul. The fighters met in a match in April 2021. Paul won the bout by technical knockout in the first round.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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