Former UFC and Bellator welterweight champion Ben “Funky” Askren has always faced his toughest tests inside the octagon. Yet nothing could prepare him for the brutal endurance trial he’s living now. After nearly two months in the ICU battling pneumonia that escalated into acute respiratory distress syndrome, Askren underwent a double lung transplant – an operation that saved his life but left him confronting a new, grueling opponent: recovery.
In his latest Instagram update, Askren filmed himself pushing his walker down a sterile hospital corridor, visibly fatigued yet determined. “I did a full lap earlier. I’m not sure if I’m going to do a full lap again. I’m gassed. I can’t [do] more than one lap of walking. It gets me so tired,” he confessed, voice strained but candid. Yet even amid exhaustion, a spark of optimism endured. “That’s progress. Hope you guys do the same with your life,” he said.
Askren’s path to this moment was harrowing.
After contracting pneumonia in late May, he spent 59 days in critical care before his failing lungs necessitated a transplant. Although his insurance fell short, a public fund and a $500,000 donation from Jake Paul ensured the surgery moved forward.
Still, as boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya pointedly criticised the UFC’s fighter pay, he declared, “They don’t give a f*** about fighters,” underscoring the wider struggle athletes face when health crises strike.
Now, Askren’s days revolve around physical therapy and breathing exercises. Tasks that most take for granted – standing unassisted, pacing a short hallway – have become monumental victories.
In one update, he reflected on the humility of his ordeal: “Before this, I was pretty much totally self-sufficient,” he admitted. “I didn’t ask for help.”
Recognising how pride once held him back, Askren now embraces his limitations as stepping stones.
“If you acknowledge what your problem is, you can solve it,” he asserted. “If you’re unwilling to acknowledge it, you can’t.”
Social media has flooded with messages of support from fighters, journalists, and fans alike. Askren’s wife documents each milestone, from rising oxygen levels to extended laps.
Though a triumphant return to competitive fighting remains uncertain, his resolve is unmistakable: to rebuild strength, reclaim independence, and savor every earned stride.
Each labored step down that hospital hall symbolises more than physical therapy – it’s a testament to the warrior spirit.
Askren may have lost countless breaths to pneumonia, but he refuses to lose hope. As he continues this uphill march, one truth rings clear: true toughness isn’t measured by takedowns or knockouts, but by the courage to keep moving forward when every step feels impossible.
