Former Ben Askren, a former UFC welterweight and Olympic wrestler, recently revealed the harrowing details of his near-death experience with a staph infection that nearly claimed his life this past summer. In an exclusive interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Askren recounted how what began as what he thought was a simple back spasm transformed into a life-threatening ordeal that required a double lung transplant to save his life.
The nightmare began in late May when Askren experienced what he believed was a familiar back spasm after training with Raphael Lovato Jr.
“I actually rolled with Raphael Lovato on Friday,” Askren explained. “I actually wrestled the next day and then I came home and played disc golf and at no point did I feel anything. And then like Saturday afternoon we went to a friend’s like pool get together and my back started hurting.”
What made this situation particularly dangerous was Askren’s decision to forego antibiotics for a small staph infection on his elbow.
“I had this little spot of staph on my elbow and you know you don’t need uh or you know at least to my experience prior to this you you don’t need antibiotics for every staph right,” Askren said. “So you know I I showered real well I cleaned it I used some uh you know antibacterial and that type of stuff and it went away like right it was like on my elbow and then you know a few days later, it clears up. It looks all healed, but they say it somehow got into my bloodstream.”
The infection’s progression was swift and devastating. Despite appearing to clear up externally, the staph had entered his bloodstream and traveled to his lungs.
“From the bloodream stream, somehow it got into the lungs. Yeah. And then it’s eating my lungs,” Askren revealed, describing the necrotizing pneumonia that would nearly end him.
Askren’s condition deteriorated rapidly during a trip to Las Vegas for a Bitcoin conference. His wife Amy, recognizing the severity of his condition, forced him to seek medical attention.
“On Wednesday, my wife forced me to the hospital,” Askren recalled.
After initially being treated for what he still believed was a back injury, he returned the following day in much worse condition.
“I remember walking in. I don’t remember anything else,”
he said of his final conscious moments before the ordeal truly began.
The medical crisis that followed was nothing short of catastrophic. During his unconscious state, which lasted from late June until July 2nd, Askren’s heart stopped multiple times.
“There was multiple times when it was almost over,” he revealed. “I know one time my friends, I had two friends that were in there and like literally my heart stopped for like 20 seconds, right? And they had and I guess it happened like multiple times in a couple hours.”
The infection caused such severe damage to his lungs that doctors determined a double lung transplant was his only chance of survival.
“Eventually they realized the only way I was going to stay alive was if I uh got a lung transplant. So when I woke up I had two new lungs,” Askren explained.
The surgery required doctors to completely remove his damaged lungs from his chest cavity, a process he described as having them
“scrape my previous lungs out of my chest cavity.”
Askren’s case was expedited due to his meeting specific criteria for transplant candidacy.
“I met all their criteria, right? I had a life-threatening illness. I was young. I was healthy. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke, right?”
he explained. This allowed him to receive the life-saving transplant relatively quickly, though the recovery process has been lengthy and challenging.
The physical toll has been immense. Askren’s weight dropped to just 138 pounds at his lowest point, and he continues to struggle with basic activities.
“One of the biggest things right now is I just don’t have the energy,” he admitted. “Previously I would have done 10 things. I’m doing like three of those. And then that’s like exhausting.”
The medication regimen required to prevent organ rejection has fundamentally changed his daily life.
“Before this I was on no medications, none. Right. And now it’s like I don’t know. I probably got to take 40 pills a day,” Askren said.
This immunosuppression means he must be extremely cautious about exposure to illness and cannot participate in many activities he previously enjoyed.
Despite the overwhelming challenges, Askren has maintained his characteristic positive outlook, focusing on what he can control rather than dwelling on what he’s lost.
“Anxiety and stress in people is generally caused by thinking about things they cannot control. And so you focus on what you can control,”
he explained, drawing on the same mental approach that served him throughout his wrestling and MMA career.
The support from the combat sports community has been overwhelming, with donations pouring in through a HelpHOPELive fundraising campaign to help with medical expenses. Notable figures including Jake Paul and Dana White made generous contributions, along with thousands of smaller donations from fans and supporters.
Ben Askren‘s survival represents a remarkable medical outcome from what doctors considered a near-certain fatal case. His story serves as both an inspiration for recovery and a stark warning about the potentially deadly consequences of untreated bacterial infections, even those that appear minor initially. While his competitive career is likely over, his focus remains on gradual recovery and spending time with his family, taking each day as it comes in his ongoing battle back to health.
