The saga of Ben Askren’s battle for his life continues. For the unversed, ‘Funky’ contracted a Staph infection, which led to severe pneumonia. The extent of the damage is so much that there are holes in his lungs, as reported by Chael Sonnen. The Olympian and former Bellator and ONE champion has been put on ventilation. We’ve been receiving updates from his wife, Amy Askren, who has been rallying for the fight community for support and help, to get behind ‘Funky’s complete recovery. In particular, she reached out to the wrestling community—the same community in which Ben Askren is a celebrated figure.

Needless to say, the wrestling community responded to the call for help. The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo took to X and wrote, “Wrestling community, we need to pray for and rally around @BenAskren who is in critical condition and battling a severe staph infection.” Soon, the wrestling apparel company Rudis, worth $10 million, launched a campaign to help the former 2-promotion champion. The company claimed, “This is our chance to give back to someone who’s given his life to the sport.”

In an Instagram post, Rudis tagged Amy Askren and shared posts of their T-shirts, asking the wrestling world to rally behind them. The text on the shirts read, “Funky Strong, Funky Tough,” with Askren’s face embedded in the middle. The caption to the post read, “It’s time for the wrestling community to rally behind one of its own. Wrestling is more than a sport, it’s a community. When one of us is in the fight, all of us are.” 

Now, Rudis has made yet another post on IG with the picture of the T-shirt in the highlight. The text below the shirt went, “It’s time for the wrestling community to rally behind one of its own. Get your Funky Strong, Funky Tough t-shirt today to support Ben Askren and his family. 100% of proceeds will go directly to his medical expenses and recovery.” In the caption, the company declared that the store would close on 24 June at 11:59 EST.

Furthermore, Amy Askren shared a beautiful story through her Instagram profile—a picture of a lunch box with a pink sticky note attached to the lid. The note read, “The Lord bless you; keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” It was indeed a message from Askren’s mother-in-law. In the caption, Amy said that her mother’s group made her lunches to take to the hospital every single day. 

Prayers have been riling up for the former UFC welterweight contender’s quick recovery. But the MMA world has been waiting with bated breaths for some good news about Askren’s health. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the last time she shared a long update. 

Wife shares crucial updates about Ben Askren’s critical condition

Not too long ago, Amy Askren wrote, “Ben is still on a ventilator and ecmo to support him while he heals. There are good days and bad, but on the good, they have been able to wean his sedation enough for him to open his eyes and squeeze hands. His body can’t handle coming off sedation too much yet.” Weaning from sedation and ventilation is possible only when the patient’s respiratory system responds to the process. Herein, the sedation is gradually reduced, along with mechanized ventilation. However, if the damage to the lungs is severe, this process can be pretty dangerous.  

In such cases, the patient usually needs a new pair of lungs. And Askren’s lungs are already riddled with pus-filled holes. Amy continued, “I’m still praying for a miracle with his current lungs, but they are currently starting the evaluation process for a lung transplant. Please pray for his continued healing, and if transplant is the solution, that he can get on the list quickly and easily.”

Getting on the transplant recipient list is no easy feat. Officials carefully scrutinize every candidate and prioritize those who are the most in need. With prayers and support from fans and professionals, all we can do is hope that ‘Funky’ gets on the list as soon as possible. After that, we’ll need to pray that Askren’s immune system accepts the graft without complications.