MMA star Ben Askren returns to fighting less than a year after double lung transplant, stint on life support

Former UFC combatant and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren volition beryllium warring for the archetypal clip successful astir 7 years aft undergoing a double-lung transplant.

Last year, Askren was connected a ventilator and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), with his wife, Amy, going arsenic acold arsenic saying helium needed a "miracle."

Well, the occurrence occurred, and a comeback is present connected the horizon.

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Ben Askren attends a quality league for Triller Fight Club's inaugural 2021 boxing lawsuit astatine The Venetian Las Vegas connected March 26, 2021. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Askren volition look erstwhile UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in a wrestling lucifer astatine Real American Freestyle 11 connected July 18, his 42nd birthday, successful Milwaukee. RAF was co-founded by the precocious Hulk Hogan.

Askren "developed terrible pneumonia which came connected precise suddenly" past June, Amy said, and was yet enactment connected beingness support. Askren was placed connected the transplant database connected June 24 and received a donor organ days later.

Askren aboriginal said that helium did not retrieve thing from May 28 to July 2 and "only died 4 times" portion losing 50 pounds successful the hospital. He was released from the infirmary connected July 22 aft 59 days.

"It was hard, it was hard. And I said this already successful 1 of my videos, but the enactment you guys gave me, whether it was sending a GoFundMe, whether it was helping my kids and woman get done it – I had friends from each implicit the state travel to sojourn and bent retired for a mates of days – it meant truthful much," Askren said erstwhile helium was released. "It was truthful large to conscionable person each this enactment and each the love, and hopefully I’m not successful this concern again for a really, really, truly agelong time. I program connected surviving a while."

Ben Askren stands successful his country earlier his welterweight bout against Demian Maia astatine UFC Fight Night successful Singapore connected Oct. 26, 2019. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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Askren said helium past turned to Christianity.

"There was aggregate times wherever they thought I was dead. Like I was dead, that’s the different side," Askren said successful a aboriginal interview. "I woke up and I conscionable decided I was a Christian. So, that’s crazy.

"I went with my woman to religion for 15 years due to the fact that that was portion of the deal. I said, ‘Well, I’m not Christian, but I’ll enactment you.’ And it was truly weird erstwhile I woke up, I’m similar ‘I gotta bash it.’ You know? So, that was benignant of weird."

Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington volition besides combat successful the event.

The 41-year-old was an NCAA champion successful the 170-pound part successful 2006 and 2007 and went connected to vie for Team USA successful the 2008 Olympics. He won golden medals successful the 2005 Pan American Championships and the 2009 World Championships. He made his afloat modulation to MMA erstwhile helium debuted successful Bellator successful 2010. He past competed successful ONE Championship earlier joining the UFC.

He defeated Robbie Lawler via submission astatine UFC 235 earlier losing to Jorge Masvidal successful a high-profile bout. Askren retired from mixed martial arts successful 2019 aft compiling a 19-2 record, with some losses coming successful his 3 UFC fights.

UFC combatant Ben Askren waits for the commencement of a middleweight mixed martial arts bout betwixt David Branch and Jared Cannonier astatine UFC 230 successful New York connected Nov. 3, 2018. (Julio Cortez/AP)

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In 2021, helium fought Jake Paul successful a boxing match.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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