Latest news with #BellatorMMA
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former ASU standout chasing $500k in finals of fighting tournament this month
Former Arizona State wrestling standout Sullivan Cauley will fight for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) World Tournament light heavyweight championship in mixed martial arts on Aug. 21 in Hollywood, Florida. Cauley, 29, is 8-1 in his professional mixed martial arts career and trains in Mesa. He'd been part of Bellator MMA until the company was bought by PFL, and won his first two fights in the PFL World Tournament to get to the final match. "To win the PFL World Tournament is a pretty big accolade," Cauley told The Arizona Republic recently. "This tournament is stacked with some serious talent, UFC vets, top-tier Bellator guys." If Cauley can defeat the more experienced and older Antonio "Shoe Face" Carlos Jr. of Brazil, he wins $500,000 and becomes the No. 1 contender for the PFL heavyweight title against champion Corey Anderson. "I'm definitely the best iteration of myself right now," Cauley said. "Gaining experience from my last couple of fights, beating some tough guys, confidence is at an all-time high." Cauley suffered a knee injury that required an ACL reconstruction, and didn't fight between August 2023 and May of this year to get back to full strength and get back in shape. He said it was a 12-month recovery, but the knee joint is back to 100 percent. "I wanted to beat that timeline and then realized that I'm human and that really wasn't going to happen," Cauley said. "I had to work hard on my physical therapy, had to deal with a lot of pain, a lot of just mental difficulty with having a super weak left leg for a while." Cauley, who often goes by his nickname "Sully," learned during his time away from the sport that as serious as he is about his career, it's just a career, and that he can still exist as a husband, son and friend. He said that thinking freed him up emotionally. "I actually appreciate the sport a lot more," Cauley said. "I'm enjoying competing and fighting more than I ever have." Cauley's longtime training partner has been Ryan Bader, the former two-divsion Bellator world champion who left PFL earlier this year. Bader is set to appear in a movie, "The Smashing Machine," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, that will be released in early October. Bader, also a former ASU wrestling star (2002-06) who was a two-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 champion, is to be inducted into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame on Oct. 17 in Tempe. "MMA is still growing pretty fast," Cauley said. "It's a super young sport compared to basically everything else. "People are becoming a lot more familiar with it, which is good. I like the fact that PFL is still alive and well and they're putting on world-class-level fights outside of the UFC, because I think a little competition has got to be good for the sport." This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa's Sullivan Cauley, a former ASU wrestler, is thriving in MMA
Mint
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Ben Askren says he ‘died four times': Who is he and what happened to him? What we know so far
Former MMA champion and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is recovering from a double lung transplant. In a heart-wrenching video that has now gone viral on social media, Askren shared an update on his health for the first time after receiving a double lung transplant. The 40-year-old Askren began his MMA career 19-0 and most notably held the welterweight titles in Bellator MMA and ONE Championship. He transitioned to MMA after an amateur wrestling career that saw him represent the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Askren won three Big 12 championships and two NCAA Division I championships in wrestling at Missouri, adding gold medals at the 2005 Pan American Championships and 2009 World Championships. He reached the quarterfinals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Askren transitioned to the Octagon after his wrestling career and compiled a 19-2 record with one no-contest in 22 MMA fights. Askren became the Bellator welterweight champion in 2010 and made his UFC debut in 2019. He lost two of three fights in UFC, including a five-second knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in Las Vegas at UFC 239. Askren made an unsuccessful boxing debut on April 17, 2021, losing to Jake Paul by TKO in the first round. UFC veteran Ben Askren was hospitalised in early June with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. He went on ventilator support on June 17 and was added to the transplant waiting list on June 24, according to his wife. Askren's wife, Amy Askren, has periodically provided updates on her husband's condition and the process they've endured during his health scare since it was first revealed on June 6. According to CBS Sports, Askren, a 40-year-old father of three children, developed pneumonia following a staph infection. He was hospitalised in his home state of Wisconsin. In an emotional video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Askren discussed his recovery and shared some scary details. Askren said he lost 50 pounds in 45 days, dealing with severe pneumonia, and has no memory of anything from the end of May to early July. He said his heart stopped several times during his scary battle with severe pneumonia. UFC legend Ben Askren said he "died four times" before life-saving double lung transplant. "I haven't given you an update in a while," Askren said in the video. 'I figure you deserve one. Whenever this is all the way over — I actually just read through my wife's journal because I don't remember anything from May 28 to July 2. No recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened. We'll kind of go through it all. I just read through my wife's journal. It's like a movie. It's ridiculous. So, I only died four times were the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That's not ideal,' he could be heard saying in the video message. He added, "But, I got the double lung transplant and made it to the other side of it. Gaining quite a bit of strength. Learning to use everything again, I was actually on a scale yesterday and 147 pounds. I haven't been 147 pounds since 15 years old. So, I lost like 50 pounds in a 45-day period. Man, that was a battle. Other than that, I don't remember most of it." "The thing that was most impeccable to me was all the love I felt from everybody," Askren said. 'It was almost like I got to have my own funeral. ... The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was just amazing. It felt so good. So, I'm more motivated than ever to get back and do what I can to help out the best I can. I love you guys. I appreciate you guys,' he said. 'This has been tough, not only on me, but on my whole family and close community. I appreciate everything. Hope you guys appreciate the update. Like I said, somewhere down the road, maybe Amy and I can detail everything a little more,' Ben added.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UFC veteran Ben Askren undergoes double lung transplant: 'Please keep Ben in your prayers'
Former MMA champion Ben Askren has undergone as a double lung transplant as he continues to fight for his life in a Wisconsin hospital. Askren's wife, Amy, provided the update Monday morning on social media, stating that the procedure is "the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift." She added that she is "hopeful that in coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update." A former champion with Bellator MMA and ONE Championship, Askren has been hospitalized since early June. Askren initially fell ill with "severe pneumonia," per Amy, leading to his hospitalization and sedation. Amy revealed on June 17 that Askren, 40, was "in limbo" and fighting for his life as they started the evaluation process for lung transplant. Amy subsequently revealed on June 24 that Askren was "officially on the transplant list," and had begun being more actively responsive when out of sedation. Advertisement Amy's latest update on the UFC veteran can be read below. We are so thankful to share that Ben has received a double lung transplant. 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 5 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 coming weeks Ben will be able to give the next update, but hopefully he will wait until the drugs wear off Askren was generally regarded as one of the sport's best wrestlers throughout his MMA career, thanks to an impressive collegiate wrestling background at the University of Missouri. Askren won his first three pro MMA fights before he signed to Bellator MMA in 2010. In his fourth fight with the company, Askren won the Bellator welterweight title. He successfully defended his belt four times before signing with ONE Championship and winning the company's 185-pound welterweight title, which he defended three times. In 2018, Askren was a part of the first and only real MMA trade when ONE Championship and UFC agreed to swap Askren and former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Askren fought three times in the UFC, notably defeating UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler in his debut. Advertisement The collegiate wrestling legend underwent hip surgery following his final UFC fight against Demian Maia in October 2019 and subsequent MMA retirement, however "Funky" has otherwise maintained an excellent physical condition, focusing on coaching at his Askren Wrestling Academy in Wisconsin. In 2021, Askren returned to compete in his professional boxing debut opposite Jake Paul, who made a plea for donations toward Askren's procedure this past Saturday following Paul's bout against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Outside of that lone appearance, Askren has remained true to his retirement from combat sports.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness
Former UFC Fighter Hospitalized in Critical Condition After Sudden Illness originally appeared on Men's Fitness. 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 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.
