Overview

• Ben Askren received a donor match and underwent a double lung transplant on June 30 in Wisconsin after battling severe pneumonia.
• He required ventilator and ECMO support beginning June 17 and was placed on the national transplant waiting list on June 24.
• His wife, Amy Askren, described the surgery as successful but urged supporters to pray as his condition remains delicate.
• Community fundraising and donations helped cover the roughly $500,000 transplant cost after initial insurance hurdles.
• Askren, a two-time NCAA champion, Olympic wrestler and former Bellator and ONE Championship MMA titleholder, retired from the UFC in 2019.