The past month or so has been the toughest time for former UFC fighter Ben Askren and his family. He had been dealing with a severe case of pneumonia, for which his lungs were severely affected, and he needed to undergo a double lung transplant. Things were looking really bad as Askren and his family faced financial difficulties to cover the medical costs associated with a surgery of this kind. Fortunately, the 40-year-old’s wife, Amy, revealed that they had found a donor and that the transplant was a success.

Out of danger and on the road to recovery, Ben Askren opened up for the first time a couple of days ago about the ordeal. He was understandably emotional. The former Bellator FC champion admitted he had no awareness about the events for over a month, claiming that he died over “four times.” He said, “I don’t remember anything from May 28th to July 2nd. No recollection, zero idea,” in a video he posted on social media. “No idea what happened… I just read through my wife’s journal, and it’s like a movie.”

Fortunately, Ben Askren appears to be in a better place now when it comes to his health, as Daniel Cormier revealed he has been in contact with the MMA veteran’s family, especially his wife. ‘DC’ shared that the situation had gotten better, and ‘Funky’, along with his family, were over the moon with the magnitude of support they received during the tough period.

While also thanking the people who shared a piece of their bank balance for Ben Askren’s medical costs, Daniel Cormier said, “I spoke to Amy recently and they were very happy and thankful for all the love and support you guys have given them,” on his YouTube channel. “[Askren is thankful] also for the people and the families that donated [for] the lungs that are now allowing Ben to start his road to recovery.”

The 40-year-old, when he shared the video from his hospital bed, looked extremely thin. He informed the fans that he had lost over 50 lbs in the past month. But the fact that he came out okay at the end of his health issues prompted many famous personalities to share some words of praise for Askren. That list includes Jake Paul. Here’s what the YouTuber-turned-boxer had to say.

Jake Paul lauds Ben Askren as the UFC fighter starts his path to recovery

Jake Paul scored one of his most devastating knockout wins against Ben Askren, who didn’t look like he belonged in a boxing ring, back in April 2021. However, when it came to the recent health struggle, Paul rallied behind Askren for him to get better. The same thing happened after he got word of Askren’s recent update, calling him one of the “toughest” people he knew.

“Shout out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters of all time,” Jake Paul tweeted. Prior to Askren’s update, Jake Paul had used his platforms to spread the word about the former UFC fighter’s medical condition and encouraged a lot of people to go and contribute whatever they can to help Ben Askren to meet the medical costs requirement. It’s safe to say that what happens inside the ring stays inside the ring for Paul.

Well, it will probably be a while before Ben Askren gets back to full health, but there’s no doubt that his life won’t be the same again. We’ll have to wait and see how he copes up with the changes and hope that he gets back to doing what he loves before he fell ill over a month ago. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.