'He's battling right now': Former UFC star and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren in 'serious condition' with illness
Former UFC fighter and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren is in a "serious condition" after being admitted to hospital with a number of health issues.
The 40-year-old, who represented the United States at the 2008 Olympics in freestyle wrestling before transitioning to mixed martial arts, was diagnosed with pneumonia.
His wife Amy posted on social media on Sunday morning (AEST) to confirm the news.
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Ben Askren during his UFC career Getty
"You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something," she said.
"He developed severe pneumonia which came on very suddenly. 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."
Those within the combat sports community shared their well wishes for Askren.
"Ben is alive and prayers are wanted. Family choosing privacy at this time," UFC legend Chael Sonnen said via X.
Askren began his career wrestling for the University of Missouri, where he became an NCAA Division I standout in the mid-2000s.
From there, he would go on to compete at the Olympics in freestyle wrestling before pursuing MMA, where he held titles in both ONE and Bellator.
Askren would then sign with the UFC and win his debut with the promotion against Robbie Lawler, before being knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in his second fight.
More recently, Askren took on Jake Paul in a professional boxing bout, but lost in the first round and has since moved away from competing.
