Ben Askren is now officially on the transplant list as he continues to fight for his life.
The former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder has spent the past few weeks hospitalized in Wisconsin, battling a severe staph infection and pneumonia. The retired UFC fighter was placed on a ventilator and later on ECMO an advanced life support system that helps patients when their heart or lungs can no longer function on their own. With his condition critical, the next step in Askren’s recovery will require a life-saving lung transplant.
His wife, Amy Askren, has remained a steady voice throughout the ordeal, sharing updates and holding the family together through what’s easily been their toughest chapter.
“As of late last night, Ben is officially on the transplant list,” Amy posted on Facebook. “Please pray he can get stronger and stay stable without complications while he waits, and that they find an amazing match for him and he accepts it smoothly. Also please pray for whoever that donor may be, and his family.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Amy delivered some moments of hope. Ben has been responsive. He’s had stretches of awareness. And in a small but powerful glimpse of normalcy, he even mouthed something the family eventually decoded, he was asking for coffee.
“It’s going to be a huge adjustment for Ben, but our family is so thankful that his other organs are ok and that there is a path forward. While he is having more periods of awareness, he’s not able to look at his phone yet and respond to messages. I am hoping he can get there in the next week or two,” she wrote.
“Also hoping we will get to a place soon where he can talk while on a trach. Yesterday he kept mouthing something for a while and we finally figured out he was saying coffee! (He can’t have it yet lol) What a huge relief to see him asking for something so normal. I’m so thankful his mind is healthy and I can’t wait to have him back.”
“We are also so thankful for the amazing community we have—from close friends, friends we haven’t talked to in 20-plus years, to strangers who have reached out to share their similar stories or pray. Thank you.”
Askren’s health scare has drawn an outpouring of support from across the MMA and wrestling world. The 40-year-old was never just a fighter, he was a force in both sports. From 2009 to 2017, Askren ran through the competition, claiming world titles in Bellator and ONE Championship. His unbeaten run included wins over top names like Douglas Lima, Shinya Aoki, Andrey Koreshkov, and Lyman Good.
When Askren finally made his UFC debut in 2019, he picked up a wild win over Robbie Lawler before suffering back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia. Those fights marked the end of his MMA career, though he briefly returned to action in a boxing bout against Jake Paul.
Since then, Askren shifted his focus to coaching, running wrestling academies in Wisconsin and mentoring young athletes after representing the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics and becoming a two-time NCAA champion for the University of Missouri.
Even in the toughest fight of his life, Askren has remained surrounded by the sport and community that helped shape him. He may not be responding to messages yet, but he hears the support and he’s still fighting.
