Former UFC Star Ben Askren Placed on Lung Transplant List amid Severe Pneumonia

Amy Askren, the wife of former UFC fighter Ben Askren, announced Tuesday that Ben has been placed on a lung transplant list.

Per TMZ Sports, Amy announced the news in a Facebook post, adding, "Please pray he can get stronger and stay stable while he waits, and they find an amazing match for him and he accepts it smoothly."

Ben Askren has been hospitalized throughout the month of June in his home state of Wisconsin due to a severe case of pneumonia, and he has been on a ventilator since June 17, according to ESPN's Ben Okamoto.

While Askren requires a lung transplant, his wife noted Tuesday that his other organs are "OK."

She also expressed hope that he will be able to speak and respond to messages soon.

Askren, 40, began his combat sports career as an amateur wrestler at the University of Missouri, winning two silver medals and two gold medals at NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships.

He went on to represent Team USA in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, falling in the quarterfinals.

Askren then transitioned to MMA and made his debut in 2009. Over his first 20 fights, he went 19-0 with one no-contest, and he held both the Bellator and ONE welterweight titles.

He made his UFC debut at UFC 235 in March 2019 by beating Robbie Lawler by technical submission. Askren's next two fights were the first two losses of his career, as he fell to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 and Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night in October 2019.

Askren retired from MMA at that point and briefly tried his hand at boxing, losing to Jake Paul by first-round technical knockout in an April 2021 bout.