Former UFC Fighter Says He 'Died Four Times' After Infection Turned Into Severe Pneumonia

Ben Askren, a former UFC fighter, has given a deeply personal health update to his fans. He revealed that he ‘died four times’ after what started as a common bacterial infection spiraled into a serious case of pneumonia.

Askren, who is now 40, stepped away from professional MMA back in 2019. At that point, he had racked up an impressive 19 wins out of 22 fights. Even after retirement, he stayed active in the fighting scene by regularly posting content and sharing commentary with his 77,000 followers.

However, fans noticed he had been unusually quiet online for a while. That silence broke on July 9 when he posted a video from a hospital bed, leaving everyone stunned by his condition and story.

In the caption of that video, he wrote: "Update from me, it's been a while." Askren shared that he had absolutely no memory of anything that occurred between May 28 and July 2.

The memory gap was a result of a staph infection — a type of bacterial infection that usually lives harmlessly on the skin or in the nose of many people. But in some cases, especially when it gets into the bloodstream or vital organs, it can become extremely dangerous.

The Mayo Clinic notes that while these bacteria often don’t cause harm, they can become life-threatening if they reach areas like the lungs, heart, joints, or bones.

In Askren’s case, the infection took a serious turn and developed into pneumonia. By June, he had to be hospitalized in Wisconsin for urgent medical care.

As his health kept declining, doctors placed him on a ventilator. Things got so critical that he was added to the waiting list for a double lung transplant.

His wife later wrote on Facebook that not long before all of this, he had seemed 'completely healthy', with no warning signs of what was to come.

UFC fighter Ben Askren retired from the sport in 2019 Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Askren said he doesn’t remember any of the experience firsthand. But after reading through notes his wife kept in her journal, he discovered that his heart had actually stopped several times during his hospital stay.

"I just read through the journal and it's like a movie. So, I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds." he shared in the video update.

He also opened up about how much weight he lost during the ordeal — a total of 50 pounds in just 45 days. Despite everything, Askren said he’s finally turned a corner and is now on the path to recovery.

Askren admitted he felt like he'd attended his 'own funeral' Instagram/@benaskren

Today, Askren says he feels more driven than ever to regain his strength and overall health.

He made sure to thank his fans and especially the wrestling and MMA communities for standing by him through this dark chapter. He told them: "The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody. It was almost like I got to have my own funeral."

One of the well-known voices rallying behind him was influencer and fighter Jake Paul, who asked fans to send prayers and support to Askren and his loved ones during the scary time.

After beating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in the ring, Jake Paul had more to say. He urged the public: "We all need to support him. Everyone should go donate to him."