Former UFC Star Ben Askren Provides Health Update in Video After Lung Transplant

After severe pneumonia required him to have a double lung transplant, former UFC star Ben Askren provided an update on his health in a video posted to Instagram Wednesday.

Askren detailed the scary few months he's been through, saying that he doesn't remember anything from the end of May to the beginning of July. He also said that he "died four times" and his heart stopped for 20 seconds.

Askren said he dropped to 147 pounds, the lightest he has been since he was 15 years old.

He did have some positive updates, though, saying that he has been "gaining quite a bit of strength" since the surgery.

Askren also said that the support he received from fans kept him motivated throughout the process.

"The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody," he said. "It's almost like I got to have my own funeral. ... The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was truly just amazing. It felt so good. I'm more motivated than ever to get back and to do what I can."

Askren has faced a tough battle over the past few months. His wife revealed on June 7 that he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and was "unable to respond to anything." On June 17, she said Askren was on a ventilator and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and had started the evaluation process for a lung transplant.

He had the double lung transplant at the end of June and is now on the road to recovery.

A back-to-back wrestling national champion at Missouri, Askren compiled a 19-2 professional MMA record, winning the Bellator Welterweight World Championship in 2010 and later the ONE Welterweight Championship in 2014.

His final UFC fight came in October 2019, and he retired from MMA in November of that year.