Ben Askren’s Fight for Life: "I Only Died Four Times"
So, if you’ve been following MMA or even just sports headlines recently, you’ve probably heard something absolutely wild and emotional—Ben Askren, yes, that Ben Askren, just went through one of the most harrowing health battles imaginable. The man literally said, “I only died four times.” I mean… how do you even process something like that?
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Askren recently shared a video update after undergoing a double lung transplant , and it’s honestly like hearing someone describe scenes from a dramatic survival movie. He battled a severe case of pneumonia that came after a staph infection—and it got so bad that his heart actually stopped four separate times. We're not talking figuratively—like, he was clinically dead for about 20 seconds on multiple occasions.
And get this—he doesn’t even remember anything from May 28 to July 2. That entire stretch is a complete blank for him. He had to read through his wife Amy’s journal to piece together what happened. Imagine waking up, looking in the mirror at a 50-pound lighter version of yourself, and realizing you missed more than a month of your life... while almost losing it entirely.
He said he was down to 147 pounds —the lightest he’s been since he was 15 years old. And this isn’t some ordinary sickness. This is a guy who went toe-to-toe with monsters in the cage, who represented the U.S. in the Olympics, and now suddenly had to relearn how to use his body . That’s a level of vulnerability you don’t often see from elite athletes.
What’s incredibly moving is how much love Askren says he felt during this whole ordeal. He described it like he got to attend his own funeral—because of the outpouring of support from fans, the wrestling and MMA communities, and beyond. That kind of connection really seemed to hit him deep. He even said it gave him a renewed sense of purpose, motivating him to keep pushing, not just for himself, but to give back however he can.
Ben’s always been known for his tough talk, unorthodox fighting style, and polarizing personality—but this raw, human moment shows something else. It shows how unpredictable life can be. One day you’re just recovering from an infection, and the next, you’re on life support, your family not knowing if you’ll make it.
It’s truly one of the most intense comebacks— not in sports, but in life . He’s still healing, still rebuilding his strength, but he made it through the storm. Honestly, if surviving death four times and walking away with gratitude doesn’t make you see life a little differently, I don’t know what will.
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