MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former Olympic wrestler and MMA star Ben Askren, who has been hospitalized in Wisconsin after a extreme case of pneumonia, stated in a post on social media Wednesday that he had undergone a double lung transplant and is in restoration.
Askren stated throughout the Instagram video that he recollects little or no of what occurred over a monthlong stretch from late Might via the primary two days of July. His spouse, Amy, had stated in a sequence of social media posts that Askren was placed on a ventilator in June and positioned on the donor listing for a lung transplant on June 24.
“No recollection, zero concept, no concept what occurred,” Askren stated of many of the previous six weeks. “I simply learn via my spouse’s journal. It’s like a film. It’s ridiculous. I solely died 4 instances, the place the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds.”
Askren stated he misplaced about 50 kilos throughout the 45-day stretch.
“The factor that was most impeccable to me was all of the love I felt,” Askren stated. “It was nearly like I received to have my very own funeral.”
The 40-year-old Askren was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, however has lived primarily in Wisconsin, the place he runs a youth wrestling academy. He received back-to-back NCAA titles at Missouri and competed on the 2008 Summer time Olympics for the U.S. earlier than transferring into MMA, the place he fought for Bellator and ONE Championship earlier than transferring into the UFC.
Askren retired from MMA after a loss to Demian Maia in October 2019. He had a report of 19-2 with one no contest.
Askren made a short return to fight sports activities in April 2021, when he fought social media star Jake Paul in a boxing match. Paul received by technical knockout within the first spherical of a struggle that bought about 500,000 on pay-per-view.
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