Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness
Ben Askren has been hospitalized due to a serious illness.
On Saturday, June 7, Ben Askren's wife, Amy, shared in a Facebook post that Ben, 40, is in the hospital with severe pneumonia.
"You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly. He's currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time. We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace. We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully so please refrain from discussing it with them for now," Amy wrote in the post.
Wrestling insider Pat Mineo also took to social media, sharing Askren's condition.
"Wrestling community, we need to pray for and rally around @BenAskren who is in critical condition and battling a severe staph infection. He is also battling severe pneumonia, prayers needed!!!" Mineo wrote on X on Saturday night.
Askren's most recent Instagram post, shared just a week ago, has turned into a space for fans to send their thoughts and prayers, with many flooding the comments with heartfelt messages and prayer emojis.
"Fight back Ben! I pray that you heal quickly and return just fine! We are ALL in your corner man!!!!!!" one Instagram user wrote.
"Get well soon champ," another user wrote.
Askren had an impressive MMA career, racking up 12 straight wins and capturing welterweight titles in both Bellator MMA and ONE Championship. Known for his dominant wrestling and unorthodox style, Askren retired from the sport in 2019.
He briefly returned to competition in 2021 for a one-off boxing match against Jake Paul. Widely considered one of the greatest amateur wrestlers in U.S. history, Askren also represented Team USA in wrestling at the 2008 Olympics.Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness first appeared on Men's Fitness on Jun 9, 2025
This story was originally reported by Men's Fitness on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
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