Mar 2, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Robbie Lawler (red gloves) and Ben Askren (blue gloves) during UFC 235 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Jake Paul Ex-Foe Ben Askren Reveals He 'Died 4 Times' Amid Terrifying Health Scare

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 6:28 PM ET

Jake Paul fought former UFC veteran and longtime MMA icon Ben Askren in a 2021 boxing bout, in which Paul won via first-round knockout. However, this defeat to Paul pales in comparison to the fight that Askren has been in over the past six or so weeks.

Last month, Askren's wife Amy began sharing updates about how her husband was in critical condition in the hospital, fighting for his life because of complications from having pneumonia combined with a severe staph infection. Askren's condition got to the point where he needed a double lung transplant, which was an estimated $2 million procedure that his health insurance wasn't going to cover.

As a result, the entire combat sports community (including Jake Paul and his brother Logan) rallied around Askren to raise funding for this surgery. The goal amount was reached, a donor was found, and the procedure ended up being successful.

Ben Askren’s wife announced that he has received a double lung transplant

His insurance denied him the transplant, but a donor paid for the procedure which could cost up to $2M pic.twitter.com/rmOrPMqAvz
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 30, 2025

Askren is now awake for the first time in weeks and broke his silence about everything he and his family have been through with a July 9 Instagram post.

"What's up guys, have not given you an update in a while... I don't remember anything from May 28th to July 2nd," Askren said in the video. "No recollection, zero idea. No idea what happened... I just read through my wife's journal, and it's like a movie.

"So I only died four times. Where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds," Askren continued. "That's not ideal. You guys know that. But I got the double lung transplant, I made it on the other side of it, gaining quite a bit of strength, learning to use everything again... I lost 50 pounds in a 45-day period. So, man, that was a battle."

Askren then added that he was impacted by all the love he felt from everybody, and that he's more motivated than ever to get back to his normal health.