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“Funky” has hit a minor setback.
Retired Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, Ben Askren, released a video on his social media today (Mon., July 28, 2025) revealing that he is back in the hospital following his recent discharge, following double lung transplant surgery after suffering a life-threatening illness last month, in which he died four times.
“As you guys can probably tell, I’m not home anymore—unfortunately,” Askren said. “I had my first checkup this morning. They didn’t like the way the last chest tube looked. They thought it was infected, put me on antibiotics, and took a few X-rays. Hopefully, they get this resolved quickly. But, you know, the Stockdale Paradox—it’s not always gonna be smooth. It’s not always gonna be easy. I’m not always gonna be all the way up. So, hopefully, this is just a small hiccup, and I’ll be back home, getting stronger again.”
Just this past weekend, Askren released a video of himself working out on a stationary bike, focusing on his recovery.
He also shared an update showing himself shirtless, revealing his noticeably thinner frame. He mentioned he is 35 pounds down from his ideal weight and said he still relies on a walker to move around.
Hopefully, this is indeed just a minor setback for the wrestling legend, and he’ll soon return to his recovery and his well-known sharp wit.
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