Wife Of Ben Askren Says Former MMA Star 'Unable To Respond' While Battling Serious Illness In Hospital
Askren, a former national champion, has been hospitalized, according to his wife.
Ben Askren, the former national champion wrestler and well-known mixed martial arts competitor, was recently hospitalized with what sounds like a severe illness, according to the Iowa native's wife.
Amy Askren revealed in a post shared to Facebook and Instagram Stories that her husband has been admitted to a hospital after developing severe pneumonia. She went on to write that Askren is not able to respond at this point in time.
"You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly," she wrote. "He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time," Amy wrote. "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."
Amy Askren/Instagram Stories
Ben and Amy have been married since 2010 and have three children together, Ozi, Andy, and Alex.
According to CBS Sports, Askren developed pneumonia after originally being diagnosed with a staph infection.
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen also addressed the situation on X, posting, "Ben is alive and prayers are wanted. Family choosing privacy at this time."
Askren was an NCAA champion in the 170-pound division in 2006 and 2007 while at the University of Missouri, where he was teammates with future UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Michael Chandler.
Askren, who represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics, retired from the UFC in 2019 while holding a 19-2 record in MMA. His last notable fight came in the boxing ring against Jake Paul in 2017, a fight he lost by TKO in the opening round.