Ben
Askren is showing some signs of positive progress, but the
retired mixed martial arts star is still fighting for his life
after recently being
hospitalized with pneumonia.
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Askren’s wife, Amy, recently provided an update on his condition
via Facebook. While the former Bellator and ONE
Championship title holder has been able to open his eyes and
“squeeze hands,” he remains on a ventilator and an Extracorporeal
Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine and is being considered for a
lung transplant. According to mayoclinic.org, an ECMO machine is a form of
life support that is used for life-threatening heart and lung
conditions. It can provide “short-term help when the body can’t
provide the tissues with enough oxygen and blood flow.”
“I haven’t shared an update because Ben has been in limbo for a
while and I was hoping to have him wake up and be the one to decide
what to share,” Amy Askren wrote. “I’ve had some media people
contact me that they are going to share an update and I would
rather it come from me.
“Ben is still on a ventilator and ecmo to support him while he
heals. There are good days and bad, but on the good, they have been
able to wean his sedation enough for him to open his eyes and
squeeze hands. His body can’t handle coming off sedation too much
yet. I’m still praying for a miracle with his current lungs, but
they are currently starting the evaluation process for lung
transplant.
“Please pray for his continued healing, and if transplant is the
solution, that he can get on the list quickly and easily. I know
transplants are such a blessing and I’m overwhelmed at the thought
of him receiving a gift like that. No one would take better care of
that gift than Ben.
“Thank you for every message and all of the support. Despite this
awful situation, I’m feeling so blessed by the community we’re
surrounded by. Give your loved ones a hug today and make sure
you’re prepared situations like this. Ben is the healthiest guy I
know and I never could have expected this.”
A two-time NCAA national champion wrestler at the University of
Missouri and a 2008 Olympian, Askren put his mat skills to good use
in the mixed martial arts realm. He made his professional debut in
2009 and went unbeaten in his first 20 fights, capturing titles in
Bellator and ONE along the way.
Askren was later part of a historic trade between ONE and the
UFC, where the Las Vegas-based promotion dealt former flyweight
king Demetrious
Johnson to obtain the man known as “Funky.” While Askren
submitted Robbie
Lawler in his first UFC outing, he wouldn’t fight in MMA again
after being finished by Jorge
Masvidal and Demian Maia
in back-to-back Octagon appearances in 2019.
Askren
retired from MMA in November 2019, when he revealed that he
would need to undergo hip replacement surgery. More recently,
Askren tried his hand at boxing, falling to Jake Paul via
first-round knockout in their April 2021 bout.