Emily Brown
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has issued a health update to his followers, revealing he 'died four times' after contracting a common bacterial infection which developed into pneumonia.
Askren, 40, retired from MMA in 2019 after securing 19 wins in 22 fights, but he has continued to stay connected to the sport by regularly sharing videos and posts related to the fighting world for his 77,000 followers.
The fighter has been quiet on social media for a few weeks, but he returned on July 9 to shock fans with a video filmed from a hospital bed.
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Captioning the video, "Update from me, it's been a while," Askren revealed to his followers that he had 'no recollection' of anything that happened between the weeks of May 28 to July 2.
His memory loss came after he developed a staph infection - a type of infection caused by germs that are commonly found on the skin or in the nose of many healthy people.
According to the Mayo Clinic these type of bacteria typically cause 'no problems', but they can turn 'deadly' if they enter your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs or heart.
Askren's own infection led to him developing pneumonia, and in June he was admitted to a hospital in Wisconsin.
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As his condition worsened, the former fighter was placed on a ventilator and put on the list to undergo a double lung transplant.
In a Facebook post, Askren's wife said he had been 'completely healthy' before he developed the infection just a few weeks ago.
Though Askren can't remember the ordeal himself, he learned through his wife's journal that his heart stopped multiple times while he was in hospital.
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"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 said.
Askren also told his followers he lost 50lbs in just 45 days, but he has since 'made it out to the other side'.
Now, he's said he's 'more motivated than ever' to get back to being fit and healthy.
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He also thanked his fans and the wrestling community for their well wishes, saying: "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."
Influencer Jake Paul was among the members of the fighting community who rallied around Askren after he fell ill, urging fans to 'say a prayer for Ben Askren and for his family'.
Speaking after his win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Paul added: "We all need to support him. Everyone should go donate to him."