Tensions are quietly boiling over in the UFC’s lightweight division, and at the heart of it is top contender Justin Gaethje. What’s going on? Well, the former BMF champion has delivered a chilling ultimatum: no title shot, no more fighting. The message, relayed by his manager Ali Abdelaziz, has stirred the calm waters of the division and sparked major speculation. Amid the growing chaos, MMA analyst Chael Sonnen weighed in with a fiery comparison involving none other than Ben Askren. Plus, we’ve got a fresh health update on the UFC alum you don’t want to miss.

While speaking to his audience on his YouTube channel, Uncle Chael revealed that Justin Gaethje and the UFC might now be at a crossroads. Why? Because Gaethje’s words have made headlines, and it’s only a matter of time before the UFC CEO, Dana White, takes notice. Giving an example of Ben Askren, Sonnen stated, “I’ll use good friend Ben Askren just as an example. Ben had made a comment way back in 2008 or 2009. He was just getting done with amateur wrestling and was just coming over to MMA.”

He further added, “Dana saw the headline, and it wasn’t nice—whatever Ben said, it wasn’t nice. Dana admitted, “I did not read the article. I had a million things going on. I saw the headline. What do I need this frizzy-haired kid for?” That was literally what he said.” Now, you might be wondering why Sonnen said this. Well, he further added, “If you can get a headline and somebody sees it, no matter who that is, including the president, and that is the impression he’s left with—you’re now going to live with that.”

Justin Gaethje is the frontrunner for a title shot after his performance at UFC 317, but it may have been a poor choice of words on his part to challenge Dana White. Chael Sonnen argues that while Gaethje isn’t necessarily wrong, the way he’s executing his plans seems a bit too extreme. Uncle Chael explained that it’s not a good deal for Gaethje to get into the bad books of the UFC CEO, just like Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

Now, we have another update—not from Justin Gaethje, but from Ben Askren. Originally shared by Chael Sonnen and later reposted by the MMA Uncensored Instagram handle, the news suggests that the former star may need our prayers now more than ever. As per MMA Uncensored, “We have a living update on Ben Askren. This comes directly from Chael Sonnen. Ben Askren needs a lung transplant. He has holes in one of his lungs. He is now in a Wisconsin hospital, seeking treatment and trying to find a lung transplant.”

As the fighter battles for his life in the hospital, the entire MMA community has been praying for his recovery. But is his condition really the result of a staph infection? UFC insider Josh Thomson would beg to differ. Let’s take a look at what the insider has to say.

Josh Thompson explains the reason behind Ben Askren’s pneumonia

Staph infections are not uncommon among athletes, especially wrestlers and grapplers. These infections are generally treated promptly, but if left untreated or not managed properly, they can cause serious organ damage. That’s exactly what happened with Ben Askren — at least, according to Josh Thomson. Leaving that infection unchecked and untreated led him to suffer from his medical issue.

While having a conversation on the Weighing-In podcast, Thomson added, “From what I understand, he had a staph infection and then the staph infection led to pneumonia… It attacked, obviously, the immune system. And then they went in to get it treated, and when it basically turned into pneumonia.”

He further added, “So, if I say something, he’s in critical condition. He’s in the hospital. His wife, I guess, apparently, put out a tweet. I haven’t seen it yet. She said, ‘Just asking for prayers for my husband,’ this and that.” Thomson ascertained that the current state of Askren is not looking good and asked for prayers from the MMA fraternity. In the end, the UFC insider explained that it’s better to take care of your body when you have the perfect chance.