Thankfully, things are going in the right direction for Ben Askren.
Askren has been hospitalized for three weeks now, and for a while, things were looking grim as the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter was in an unresponsive, critical condition due to severe pneumonia.
“Funky” started to show some level of responsiveness last week, but today (Tues, June 24, 2025), Askren’s wife Amy provided a much-needed positive update on her personal Facebook account.
“As of late last night, Ben is officially on the transplant list,” Amy wrote. “Please pray he can get stronger and stay stable without complications while he waits, and that they find an amazing match for him and he accepts it smoothly. Also, please pray for whoever that Donor may be, and his family. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for Ben, but our family is so thankful that his other organs are ok and that there is a path forward. While he is having more periods of awareness, he’s not able to look at his phone yet and respond to messages. I am hoping he can get there in the next week or two! Also hoping we will get to a place soon where he can talk while on a trach.”
While “Funky” can’t look at his phone at the moment, he did ask his wife for some coffee.
“Yesterday, he kept mouthing something for a while, and we finally figured out he was saying coffee!” Amy wrote “(He cant have it yet lol). What a huge relief to see him asking for something so normal. I’m so thankful his mind is healthy and I can’t wait to have him back. We are also so thankful for the amazing community we have-from close friends, friends We haven’t talked to in 20+ years, to strangers who have reached out to share their similar stories or pray. Thank you.”
According to Stanford Health Care, the time to get a lung transplant varies widely based on several factors. From the moment someone is listed for a transplant, the wait for a suitable donor lung can range from days to years.
Once a match is found, the transplant surgery itself takes 6 to 12 hours, but the pre-transplant evaluation can take weeks to months to complete.
It’s safe to say “Funky” is still on the long road to recovery, but the news that he’s responsive is overall great news to the mixed martial arts (MMA) community.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
