‘Welcome prayers' – UFC icon and Jake Paul rival Ben Askren ‘unresponsive' in hospital as wife reveals ‘severe' illness
The former MMA and wrestling star infamously came out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2021.
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Askren, a former Olympian, was active in MMA for over a decade.
News of his hospitalisation broke during UFC 316 in New Jersey on Saturday night.
Funky has not been active in the squared circle since his exhibition with Paul almost four years ago.
But he is fondly remembered in wrestling circles as one of the greatest grapplers of all time.
Askren, 40, is currently battling "a sudden and severe onset of pneumonia".
His wife Amy penned a heartfelt update on her husband's condition.
She wrote on Facebook: "You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something.
"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.
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"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."
Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family.
Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo wrote on X: "Pray for Ben Askren."
One fan wrote: "You got this Ben, keep fighting."
While another commented: "Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him."
He's currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.
Amy Askren
Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6.
He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion.
Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba's Ivan Fundora on points.
Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA.
He boasted 19 wins from 22 MMA pro fights, with his first loss coming in an infamous flying kick KO by Jorge Masvidal five seconds into their bout at UFC 239.
Askren's highly publicised boxing bout with YouTuber Paul saw 500,000 PPV buys.
Paul, then aged 24, won the bout via TKO in one minute and 59 seconds of the first round.
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