It appears that former ONE Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren is currently fighting for his life against the ultimate opponent—sickness. At 7 PM ET on June 7, Tom Ryan, head coach of the Ohio State wrestling team and a close friend of Askren, took to X  and posted, “Prayers for @Benaskren and his family.” The message sent shockwaves across the MMA world, leaving fans and fighters confused and concerned. What exactly happened to Askren? No official details were shared, and speculation ran wild.

Amid the chaos, former UFC star and analyst Chael Sonnen stepped in to clarify the situation, offering some insight to calm the growing storm. The UFC Ho’fer took to his X handle to ascertain that Ben Askren is safe as of now, but he will be requiring prayers: “Ben is alive and prayers are wanted. Family choosing privacy at this time,” wrote Sonnen on his X handle.

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren is reportedly battling a severe case of staph infection, which has further complicated his condition as he has also contracted pneumonia. Shedding light upon the issue, Askren’s wife, Amy, took to her Facebook handle to state, “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something. He developed severe pneumonia, which came on very suddenly.

She further added, “He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time. We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace. We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”

Askren’s family is keeping the matter as private as possible. However, as news of his condition spreads, the MMA community has come together in unison to pray for the former UFC fighter. Former dual-weight champion Henry Cejudo took to his X handle, writing, “Pray for Ben Askren.” Additionally, renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani posted, “Hang in there, @Benaskren. You got this.”

 Further information about the fighter is awaited, as the family has chosen to keep details private for now. The former UFC fighter was reportedly planning something big for his career, but it seems fate had other plans.

Ben Askren was planning something big after he retired from MMA

‘Funky’ was a big name during Bellator’s early days and soon transitioned to ONE Championship, where he became their welterweight champion. After his successful run in ONE, the fighter moved to the UFC through a historic contract trade involving Demetrious Johnson.

However, Askren’s UFC career was short-lived. Following a controversial close-call victory against Robbie Lawler, he faced Jorge Masvidal in a highly anticipated bout — but ‘Gamebred’ proved to be too much for him, delivering a brutal knockout that marked a turning point in Askren’s MMA journey. After the defeat, Askren fought against Demian Maia in hopes of getting back to the winning column, but he conceded defeat and retired from the sport.

After nearly six years out of the Octagon, Ben Askren was finally ready to mark his comeback to the mats with his recent involvement in Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF), the new venture led by Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff.Askren appeared enthusiastic about the opportunity to help build something new alongside reputable figures, stating that he was “ready to take on young challengers” once the league launches this fall. Well, for now all prayers are now with the former ONE champion as he battles arguably the biggest opponent of his life.