Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Askren Health Update- What Has Happened to Ben Askren and How Severe Is His Condition?

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Askren, also known as “Funky,” carved a unique path in MMA with his wrestling pedigree and unorthodox style. A two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champ and 2008 U.S. Olympian, Askren dominated prior to arriving to the UFC, going 19-0-1 and claiming welterweight titles in Bellator and ONE Championship. In his prime he showcased suffocating grappling, relentless pressure, and had a knack for controlling the pace of the fight, although his striking was often criticized. Joining the UFC in 2019 via a historic trade for Demetrious Johnson, Askren debuted with a controversial submission win over Robbie Lawler. While his grappling power made him a feared matchup, but his standup vulnerabilities were exposed in his next fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. Infamously for Askren, Masvidal delivered a record-breaking five-second flying knee knockout, which might have put Askren’s UFC plans to rest.

Soon after his first ever loss, on October 2019, Demian Maia got gave Askren his back-to-back career and UFC loss, after Maia ended the fight via submission in round 3 of the contest. Askren’s prime was defined by his wrestling dominance, though his striking limitations capped his ceiling. Askren also ventured into other professional sports such as boxing, facing YouTube star Jake Paul. While Askren may have gotten the paycheck he needed, but was humbled and thoroughly outclassed inside the boxing ring. Now, at 40 plus years of age, Askren is critically hospitalized with several conditions. Let’s find out more.

Pray for Ben Askren 🙏🏾
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 8, 2025

What Happened to Ben Askren’s Health?

The Retired UFC fighter, Ben Askren, is currently hospitalized with serious health issues, which includes severe pneumonia according to reports. Askren’s wife first posted about her husband on social media and according to reports Askren is also going through a severe staph infection.

Amy Askren posted, “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly. He’s currently in hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time. We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace. We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”

Prayers up for Ben Askren & his family 🙏 pic.twitter.com/h4IIygckt9
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 8, 2025

All we can do for now is pray, as Askren’s wife asked, and hope for the best for him. We haven’t seen Askren since he retired in 2019 from the UFC world, inside the Octagon and after his brief boxing stint, we have seen him appear on various podcasts and talk bout his MMA career.

Ben Askren

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