With Ben Askren fighting for his life in a hospital in his hometown, Wisconsin, the world has continued to shower prayers for the former MMA star’s speedy recovery. Askren was previously rushed to a hospital in Nevada with reports and insider info claiming he contracted pneumonia. In fact, during his last appearance on Funky and the Champ podcast with Daniel Cormier, Askren complained of an infection. Turns out, it was a nasty Staphylococcus infection, which later led to a severe lung infection.
Meanwhile, his wife, Amy Askren, has been sending updates regarding ‘Funky’s health. But as the former ONE Championship welterweight champion continues to fight pneumonia, his wife penned an emotional message for him on 17 June 2025—Father’s Day.
Needless to say, Askren’s family must be facing the maximum levels of anxiety and pain. His family consists of Amy Askren and their three children—Chuck, Max, and Michele. The MMA community has continued to shower support for Askren and his family. And the messages Amy receives on social media definitely aid in uplifting her spirits.
Responding to the fans, she recently wrote on her IG Story, “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.” And as his children keep praying for their father’s quick recovery, Amy shared an emotional post on Instagram.
She shared a reel that highlighted Askren’s activities with his children. In the caption, she penned, “Happy Father’s Day to the best dad we could ask for. We love you so much. You’ve given us the best life and now we are acutely aware of just how good we have it. We are praying for you non stop and can’t wait to have you back home with us.” Fight fans continue to shower goodwill for Askren as he fights the toughest battle of his life, quite literally..
So how has Askren been lately? Well, UFC legend Chael Sonnen, who is a long-time friend of Askren since they’re in the wrestling fraternity. And, his latest update seems to have heightened concern for the former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion, rather than alleviate it. Let’s take a closer look.
Chael Sonnen provides an important health update about Ben Askren
Taking to his YouTube channel, ‘The Bad Guy’ opened up about Askren’s family moving him to Wisconsin. He said, “One of the things the family really wanted to do was to get Ben, like this was priority number one, they wanted to get Ben from Nevada where he was to Wisconsin. Just geographically speaking, if this is to be the end, they wanted it in Wisconsin.” Sonnen believed this to be an apparent end because of an update that he got from Amy Askren.
Sonnen continued, “So, at this point in the story, we all find out that Ben needs a lung transplant. There was a hole in his lung. For the information that I’ve been given, he don’t have an answer as to how or I guess as to even why there was a hole in his lung. But while the family is working on that, they were able to get Ben from Nevada to Wisconsin. I was able to speak to the lovely Amy, Ben’s wife, one time. She did it make it clear in this one time that we talked that there wasn’t going to be a lot of talking, but what was really hoped for was prayers and thoughts.”
The holes that Sonnen talked about are actually filled with pus, which is a usual outcome of pneumonia. But this only happens if pneumonia doesn’t respond to the antibiotic therapy for a long time. This can further contribute to pneumothorax—collapsed lungs. This happens when the infection weakens the tissue around the respiratory system, allowing air to leak into the space around it. The first thing that medics do in such situations is treat the collapsed lung with chest tubes or surgery.
The aim is to reinflate the lungs and repair the damage done by the infection. But if all of that fails, a transplant remains the ultimate option. And that option is considered only when other methods of treatment remain ineffective and lead to end-stage lung disease.
During such times, all we can do as fans is offer our prayers for Askren’s recovery. So, drop down to the comments section below and leave a few words of encouragement for the family. And while you do that, don’t forget to keep ‘Funky’ in your prayers and hope for his speedy recovery.
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