Ben Askren Lung Transplant: MMA Star’s Health Update

Ben Askren Lung Transplant: MMA Star’s Health Update

June 30, 2025 Catherine Williams - Chief Editor Sports

  • Brett OkamotoJun 30, 2025, 11:25 AM ET

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      Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

Former MMA and wrestling champion Ben Askren has received a double lung transplant, his wife shared on social media.

Askren, 40, has been hospitalized all month in his home state of Wisconsin, due to severe pneumonia. His wife, Amy, has shared updates throughout his recovery and expressed gratitude on Monday for the latest.

“We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant,” Amy wrote on Facebook. “We are forever thankful to the donor and his family. This is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn’t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just five weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own. I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now. I can’t wait to tell Ben all about it. I’m hopeful that in the coming weeks, Ben will be able to give the next update.”

According to Amy’s posts, Askren was placed on the donor list on June 24. As of June 17, he had been on ventilator support.

Askren fought his entire professional fighting career out of Hartland, Wisconsin, and he runs a wrestling academy in the area. He retired from MMA in 2019 and was also a two-time NCAA Division I champion in wrestling and a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. He held MMA titles in multiple organizations and appeared in the UFC at the end of his career. He and Amy have three children together.