“Funky” is awake and slowly recovering.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, Ben Askren, recently received a double lung transplant after suffering a life-threatening illness last month, and now the former college wrestling superstar is talking.
Askren shared a positive, albeit emotional, update with his Instagram followers:
“What’s up, guys?” Askren said. “I haven’t given you an update in awhile, and I feel like you deserve one. I just read through my wife’s journal because I don’t remember anything from May 28 to July 2. I have no recollection — no idea what happened. I read through my wife’s journal, and it’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous.
“I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds,” Askren added. “That’s not ideal — you guys know that. But, I got a double lung transplant and made it to the other side, gaining quite a bit of strength and learning to use everything again. I was on the scale yesterday: 147 pounds. I haven’t been 147 pounds since I was 15 years old. I lost 50 pounds in a 45-day period. Man, that was a battle. Obviously, I don’t remember most of it.”
“The thing that impacted me most was all the love I felt from everybody,” Askren continued. “It was almost like I got to have my own funeral. I remember 30 years ago when Dave Schultz died, and you heard older people recollect how much they enjoyed him and loved him. Obviously, he never got to hear that.
“The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was amazing — it felt so good,” Askren added. “I’m more motivated than ever to give back and do what I can. I love you guys. I appreciate you. This has been tough, not only on me but also on my whole family and close community. I appreciate everything.”
Askren retired from UFC after a submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC Singapore back in 2019. He then then boxed Jake Paul — who has publicly offered financial support — in 2021.
Askren remains active in the wrestling community, coaching and mentoring young athletes.
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