Former UFC fighter Ben Askren hospitalized with severe pneumonia
The Brief
Ben Askren is hospitalized with severe pneumonia and is currently unresponsive, according to his wife.
Amy Askren asked for prayers and requested privacy, especially regarding their children.
Askren is a former MMA champion and now focuses on wrestling coaching and podcasting.
Former UFC star Ben Askren is currently hospitalized with severe pneumonia "unable to respond" to treatment, according to his wife.
What they're saying
"You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something," Amy Askren posted on Facebook. "He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly."
"He's currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time," she continued.
What you can do
Amy said she's asking for prayers for healing and peace. She also asks people to refrain from discussing the matter with their children.
The backstory
According to FOX Sports, Askren, 40, is from Wisconsin.
According to MMA Fighting, at his peak, Askren was seen as one of the best welterweight fighters after winning championships in both Bellator and ONE Championship. He later joined the UFC in a rare deal where ONE traded him for Demetrious Johnson.
Askren's UFC career ended with a 1-2 record, including a debut win over Robbie Lawler followed by losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia. A few weeks after the Maia fight, he announced his retirement from MMA but later returned for a boxing match against Jake Paul, which ended in a first-round knockout loss—his only boxing appearance.
Since then, Askren has mainly focused on coaching wrestling in his home state of Wisconsin while also staying involved in MMA coverage, including co-hosting a podcast with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, according to the outlet.
The Source
The information in this story comes from a Facebook post by Ben Askren's wife, Amy Askren, who shared an update on his health, stating he is hospitalized with severe pneumonia and currently unresponsive. Additional background details about Askren's career were reported by FOX Sports and MMA Fighting, which highlighted his achievements in Bellator and ONE Championship, his brief UFC tenure, and his post-fighting career in coaching and media. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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