Former UFC fighter, MMA champ and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is back in the hospital, weeks after he underwent a double lung transplant surgery in June.<\/p>\n
Askren, 41, shared an update on his health on Monday, revealing he had been checked back into a hospital following a post-surgery check-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, as you guys can probably tell, I\u2019m not at home any more unfortunately,\u201d Askren said in a video posted to Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI had my first check up this morning. They didn\u2019t like the way the last chest tube looked. [They] thought it was infected, put me on some antibiotics, and then did a few X-rays. And hopefully we get this solved fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Askren received a double lung transplant<\/a> in June, his wife, Amy, announced June 30. He had been hospitalized since June 7<\/a> due to severe pneumonia caused by a staph infection. The former University of Missouri wrestler had been in critical condition and on a ventilator and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) while awaiting a lung transplant, according to Amy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are forever thankful to the donor and his family,\u201d Amy wrote in a Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cThis is the beginning of a new lifestyle for Ben, but every new day he has is a gift. It still doesn\u2019t feel real that he was walking around completely healthy just 5 weeks ago. So much can change so quickly. Please keep Ben in your prayers that his body welcomes the new lungs as if they were his own. I am constantly in awe of all the people carrying us through right now. I can\u2019t wait to tell Ben all about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Askren retired from MMA in 2019, finishing his career with a 19-2 record, including 1-2 in UFC. He was also a two-time NCAA Division I champion wrestler for Missouri and was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Askren won welterweight titles in Bellator MMA and One Championship before fighting in three UFC bouts in 2019.<\/p>\n Askren and Amy have three children together and live in his native Wisconsin.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n