Back to news
Boxer Jake Paul touts former opponent Ben Askren's perseverance during ex-UFC star's bout with serious illness
@Source: foxnews.com
Ben Askren continues to battle pneumonia. On Wednesday, the former Olympic wrestler and MMA star revealed he had undergone a double lung transplant. His wife, Amy, said in a series of social media posts Askren was placed on a ventilator in June and placed on a donor list for a lung transplant June 24. YouTube star-turned pro boxer Jake Paul took a moment to direct some praise toward his former opponent. Paul described Askren as "one of the toughest fighters" during his battle with a serious infection. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "Shout out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters of all time," Paul wrote on X Wednesday. Paul's comments surfaced shortly after Askren said he "only died four times" before a lung transplant. FORMER UFC FIGHTER BEN ASKREN RECEIVES DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT DUE TO PNEUMONIA BATTLE, WIFE SAYS "No recollection. Zero idea. No idea what happened," Askren said in a video posted to his social media account about what he recalled most from the past six weeks. "I just read through my wife’s journal. It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds." Askren also said he lost roughly 50 pounds during the 45-day stretch. "The thing that was most impeccable to me was all the love I felt," Askren said. "It was almost like I got to have my own funeral." Askren won back-to-back NCAA wrestling titles at Missouri and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics for the U.S. before moving to MMA, where he fought for Bellator and ONE Championship. He later pivoted to the UFC octagon. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Askren stepped away from MMA after a loss to Demian Maia in 2019. He had a record of 19-2 with one no contest. He does have history with Paul. The fighters met in a match in April 2021. Paul won the bout by technical knockout in the first round. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Related News
20 Jul, 2025
Water Board to Install Smart Valves at R . . .
27 Apr, 2025
Gold Price Today In India: Check Latest . . .
04 Jun, 2025
New coach to give lifeline to forgotten . . .
21 Jul, 2025
Tragedy as Year 12 student killed in cra . . .
30 Apr, 2025
Nicola Coughlan shares her excitement as . . .
15 Apr, 2025
Sports News | IPL Scoreboard: PBKS Vs KK . . .
25 Jul, 2025
Mirror's Daily Digest - five stories you . . .
27 May, 2025
World News | ÚK-LIVERPOOL-LD CAR . . .