Ben Askren update? ‘Funky’ UFC vet added to lung transplant list — ‘Thankful his mind is healthy’

Thankfully, things are going in the right direction for Ben Askren.

Askren has been hospitalized for three weeks now, and for a while, things were looking grim as the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter was in an unresponsive, critical condition due to severe pneumonia.

“Funky” started to show some level of responsiveness last week, but today (Tues, June 24, 2025), Askren’s wife Amy provided a much-needed positive update on her personal Facebook account.

Stanford Health Care, the time to get a lung transplant varies widely based on several factors. From the moment someone is listed for a transplant, the wait for a suitable donor lung can range from days to years.

Once a match is found, the transplant surgery itself takes 6 to 12 hours, but the pre-transplant evaluation can take weeks to months to complete.

It’s safe to say “Funky” is still on the long road to recovery, but the news that he’s responsive is overall great news to the mixed martial arts (MMA) community.