Former Mma Fighter ‘died Four Times’ Amid Double Lung Transplant

Former Olympic wrestler and MMA prima Ben Askren, who has been hospitalized successful Wisconsin aft a terrible lawsuit of pneumonia, said successful a station connected societal media Wednesday that he had undergone a double lung transplant and is successful recovery.

Askren said during nan Instagram video that he recalls very small of what happened complete a month-long agelong from precocious May done nan first 2 days of July. His wife, Amy, had said successful a bid of societal media posts that Askren was put connected a ventilator successful June and placed connected nan philanthropist database for a lung transplant connected 24 June.

“No recollection, zero idea, nary thought what happened,” Askren said of astir of nan past six weeks. “I conscionable publication done my wife’s journal. It’s for illustration a movie. It’s ridiculous. I only died 4 times, wherever nan ticker stopped for astir 20 seconds.”

Askren said he mislaid astir 50 pounds during nan 45-day stretch.

“The point that was astir impeccable to maine was each nan emotion I felt,” Askren said. “It was almost for illustration I sewage to person my ain funeral.”

The 40-year-old Askren was calved successful Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but has lived chiefly successful Wisconsin, wherever he runs a younker wrestling academy. He won back-to-back NCAA titles astatine Missouri and competed astatine nan 2008 Summer Olympics for nan US earlier moving into MMA, wherever he fought for Bellator and ONE Championship earlier moving into nan UFC.

Askren retired from MMA aft a nonaccomplishment to Demian Maia successful October 2019. He had a grounds of 19-2 pinch 1 nary contest.

Askren made a little return to combat sports successful April 2021, erstwhile he fought societal media prima Jake Paul successful a boxing match. Paul won by method knockout successful nan first information of a conflict that sold astir 500,000 connected pay-per-view.