Latest news with #HenryCejudo
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Keep praying' – Ben Askren's wife shares update with ex-UFC star fighting for his life in hospital
BEN ASKREN's wife has given a fresh update on the former MMA world champion's condition following his hospitalisation. The 44-year-old was hospitalised last week after coming down with a severe case of pneumonia, which was brought on by a staph infection. 4 4 4 Askren was in a critical condition and "unresponsive" according to a heartbreaking social media post from his wife, Amy. And she's urged her loved ones and fight fans to continue praying for her husband in her latest Facebook post. She wrote: 'Feeling so incredibly thankful for our friends and community. 'It's times like this that remind you how truly blessed you are. 'I feel God moving through the love and support we have received. "I'm sorry if I haven't had the chance to respond to you, but know I've seen your messages, and each one has meant so much to me. 'Please keep praying for Ben.' The MMA community were quick to send their well-wishes to Askren after learning of his hospitalisation. 4 Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo wrote on X: "Pray for Ben Askren." Ex-middleweight king Chris Weidman said: "Prayers out to Ben Askren and his family!!" Lightweight star Terrance McKinney said: "Prayers for Ben Askren." Dillon Danis wrote: "Heard the news before it hit the media about Ben Askren. "It's a lot more serious than people think. No matter how bad our beef might've been, he's a great coach and a family man. "Praying he pulls through this." Askren announced his retirement from MMA in 2019 after just over a year in the UFC, where he won three of his fights in the promotion. He ended his combat sports retirement in April 2021 for a crossover clash with Jake Paul, who knocked him out in the first round of their Covid clash.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Welcome prayers' – UFC icon and Jake Paul rival Ben Askren ‘unresponsive' in hospital as wife reveals ‘severe' illness
MMA icon Ben Askren is "unresponsive" in hospital after being struck down by severe pneumonia. The former MMA and wrestling star infamously came out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2021. 4 4 4 4 Askren, a former Olympian, was active in MMA for over a decade. News of his hospitalisation broke during UFC 316 in New Jersey on Saturday night. Funky has not been active in the squared circle since his exhibition with Paul almost four years ago. But he is fondly remembered in wrestling circles as one of the greatest grapplers of all time. Askren, 40, is currently battling "a sudden and severe onset of pneumonia". His wife Amy penned a heartfelt update on her husband's condition. She wrote on Facebook: "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. Jake Paul reveals 'hefty' six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ "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." Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family. Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo wrote on X: "Pray for Ben Askren." One fan wrote: "You got this Ben, keep fighting." While another commented: "Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him." He's currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time. Amy Askren Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6. He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion. Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba's Ivan Fundora on points. Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA. He boasted 19 wins from 22 MMA pro fights, with his first loss coming in an infamous flying kick KO by Jorge Masvidal five seconds into their bout at UFC 239. Askren's highly publicised boxing bout with YouTuber Paul saw 500,000 PPV buys. Paul, then aged 24, won the bout via TKO in one minute and 59 seconds of the first round.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Henry Cejudo questions quality of Sean O'Malley's camp for UFC 316: 'Maybe he's cheap'
Henry Cejudo questions quality of Sean O'Malley's camp for UFC 316: 'Maybe he's cheap' The rumblings Henry Cejudo heard about Sean O'Malley's UFC 316 training camp is making him confidently pick against him. After losing his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) at UFC 306, O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will get an opportunity to reclaim his belt when the pair run things back in Saturday's main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley entered his first fight against Dvalishvili with a hip injury which later required surgery. Despite the lifestyle changes O'Malley has made ahead of the rematch, Cejudo doesn't like what he's heard about his training camp. "I think the biggest thing with O'Malley is, did he formulate his camp correctly?" Cejudo said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Kamaru Usman. "There's a lot of birdies out there. I'm going to say it here on Pound 4 Pound: He's just working jiu-jitsu. He's not working his get-ups, his stand-ups. He's not investing in his camp. He's not bringing in guys for money. In Arizona, they have big mouths. "It's true, it's 100 percent true. It (money) shouldn't be (an issue), but to him, he just wants to keep everything – I don't know, maybe he's cheap. He just wants to keep everything in house. When you do that, sh*t gets out there. That's the only reason why I know some of these things. People, listen to me: Bet the house, Merab Dvalishvili via damn decision, 50-45." Dvalishvili won the first fight by unanimous decision, where he took O'Malley down six times and controlled him for more than 10 minutes. He is a sizable favorite to retain his title.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘I'd be concerned about him fighting' – Boxing legends including Tyson Fury urge Deontay Wilder to QUIT before comeback
DEONTAY WILDER has been urged to hang up his gloves just a month before his ring return. The former long-reigning WBC heavyweight champion will bid to get back to winning ways on June 27 in a rebuild fight against Tyrrell Herndon. 4 4 4 Wilder, 39, will enter the bout on the back of four defeats in his last five outings, with three of those losses being brutal knockouts to Tyson Fury and Zhilei Zhang. The American has looked like a shell of the fighter who struck fear into the hearts of heavyweights during his pomp, so much so that a litany of boxing icons, Fury, included, have urged him to call it a day. During an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with former UFC champs Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, he said: "I'd like to see poor old Deontay retire from boxing. 'When I beat Wilder, he was 44 and 0, with 43 KOs, and he KO'd the guy who went the distance with him in the rematch, so that means he knocked out every single person he ever faced. 44 people. 'Obviously, he lost the three fights to me and since that third trilogy, we took a lot of lot of years off each other's lives. "That war, which ended in the 11th round by knockout, that took a lot out of our tanks. "Between me and Wilder in that trilogy there was 10 knockdowns. It takes a lot out of a fighter. 'Even when he's come back and had a couple of fights since, he's only a shadow of his former glory. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 "The only thing left that remains the same about Deontay is his name.' Legendary boxing coach Teddy Atlas, who used to train Mike Tyson, shares the same view as Fury. Deontay Wilder's three-fight 'plan' revealed including overdue Anthony Joshua fight Atlas told Slingo: 'The last thing to go, George Foreman showed, is that the last thing to go with a fighter is power. "As long as you have power, you've got a shot. "But the way he's looked, the punishment he took against Zhilei Zhang. "Wilder took a lot of punishment in his last few fights. "And the way he took it, how clean he got hit, and how he reacted to it, just as a human being. "Forget trainer, promoter, anything, just as a human being, I'd be concerned about him fighting again.' Wilder and his team are hoping a win over Herndon will kick-start an unlikely run to a world title, with head coach Malik Scott saying: "He's still got that urge to become champion, because he's a champion at heart. "He's on the second half of his career, he's filthy rich. "He wants to make another run at the heavyweight championship of the world."
The Onion
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Onion
UFC Clown Jumps Into Octagon To Distract Irate Fighter
SEATTLE—Deftly jumping into the arena's octagon as audience members cheered and laughed, an Ultimate Fighting Championship clown attempted Saturday to lure an irate fighter's attention away from his fallen competitor. The lighthearted performer known as Boxo, who was dressed in brightly colored clothing with his face painted into a frown, reportedly sprang into action and began cartwheeling, hopping from foot to foot, and snapping his big red suspenders after bantamweight headliner Henry Cejudo delivered a knockout punch to contender Song Yadong. While witnesses confirmed the jaunty entertainer was able to successfully distract Cejudo for several minutes, the fighter eventually clipped him in the torso, sending him several feet into the air as a honking sound reverberated through the stunned arena. According to reports, the crowd let out a loud cheer when Boxo jumped back up, blew a kiss to the audience, and successfully chased the rowdy UFC fighter back into his holding pen.
