Joe Rogan Reveals Sad Reality of “Not Okay” Ben Askren Amid $500,000+ Insurance Failure

Ben Askren wasn’t really a fan favorite in the UFC, given that by the time he made his way to the UFC, he was over 34 years old. He even found himself in the record for the fastest knockout of all time, but on the wrong side of it. However, Askren’s recent health struggles have gotten a lot of people talking, and they expressed their concerns about ‘Funky’ dealing with pneumonia, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

During a recent conversation with Cory Sandhagen on Joe Rogan’s podcast, ‘The Sandman’ revealed that when he injured his tricep in the fight against Rob Font, things weren’t looking good. He went under the knife, claiming that he got a staph infection because of it. That’s when Rogan remembered Ben Askren’s issue, who also suffered pneumonia as a result of a staph infection, which is known as necrotizing pneumonia. However, Sandhagen didn’t seem aware of the former fighter’s health issues.

“Wasn’t it a staph infection that turned into a pneumonia?” Joe Rogan asked Cory Sandhagen, although he didn’t know about it, out of courtesy, he responded by asking, “Is he doing okay? I never [asked].” Well, Joe Rogan would reveal the issue with Ben Askren, whose family is on the hunt for a lung donor. “He’s not doing okay, man,” Rogan replied.

“He needs a lung transplant… He had, I think, they call it necrotic pneumonia,” the 57-year-old further stated on the #167 JRE MMA Show episode. “So, essentially, it was rotting holes in his lung tissue. And so they had to put him on a ventilator, and apparently, one of his lungs is just gone, and they have to replace it, which is important.”

Ben Askren’s medical bill is piling up, and for the transplant, reports claim he needs over $500,000, but he has a financial issue at hand as well. It appears that Funky’s insurance company is not willing to cover the expenses, according to one of Askren’s close friends. “The insurance won’t cover the lung transplant, and that’s extremely costly, astronomical costs associated with that,” the ex-UFC fighter’s friend revealed.

For the unversed, in early June 2025, Askren was admitted to a Wisconsin hospital after contracting a staph infection that rapidly escalated into severe, necrotizing pneumonia, requiring both ventilator support and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) to sustain his lungs. By late June, doctors determined a double lung transplant was essential and added him to the national transplant waitlist. The procedure is estimated to cost $300,000–$400,000, expenses not covered by insurance. In response, a Help Hope Live fundraiser and grassroots efforts (like the “Funky Strong, Funky Tough” merchandise campaign) have been launched.

UFC president Dana White shared the donation link on his Instagram, while his former adversary, Jake Paul, publicly offered his prayers and support. Despite still being sedated and unable to speak, Askren recently demonstrated mental clarity, mouthing “coffee,” opening his eyes and squeezing his loved ones’ hands—igniting cautious optimism within his medical team and the MMA community.

Joe Rogan claims a transplant will change Ben Askren’s life

When someone goes through a transplant, they’ll need to keep taking immunosuppressants to help their body accept the new organ, and that’s the reality Ben Askren will face for the rest of his life. In emphasizing this point, Joe Rogan noted that when the immune system is compromised, the body becomes more susceptible to other illnesses. The 57-year-old talked about a buddy of his who had a heart transplant and is still fretting about something going wrong with him.

“That’s [transplants] so crazy because then you have to be on medication for your entire life because your body wants to reject the lung because it’s not your lung. So you have to take these immunosuppressants,” Joe Rogan added. “I have a friend who had a heart transplant. And he’s all f—ed up because of it. It’s just like you’re always worried about getting sick because your immune system is very compromised.”

Ben Askren is currently undergoing treatment and has been showered with prayers from the entire MMA community. To pay tribute to the former fighter, the Help Hope Live campaign has managed to pull in over $34,000 so far, but it’s still falling short of the treatment needed. We’ll just have to wait and see how things unfold for Askren over the next few days.