Kyle Dake reacts as Ben Askren provides health update from hospital bed following double lung transplant

Kyle Dake reacted to Ben Askren's health update after the double UFC champion underwent a double lung transplant in June. Askren was admitted to the hospital in the past month with severe pneumonia.

Ben Askren, a two-time National and three-time Big 12 Conference champion from the University of Missouri, also competed in the One Championship and Ultimate Fighting Championship, in addition to making the Olympic team in 2012. He was inducted into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012, and retired from mixed martial arts in 2019.

In June 2025, Askren's world came crashing down as he was hospitalized with pneumonia that developed from a staph infection. His wife, Amy, has been updating about his health on social media until recently when the former MMA star provided a health update from the hospital bed.

His progression garnered the reaction of Kyle Dake, the four-time World and four-time NCAA Division I Champion, who wished Askren good health and quick healing.

"Unreal, glad he made it out to the other side. Praying for continued healing and progress."

Kyle Dake reacts to Ben Askren's health update; Instagram - @kyledake44

In the video, the tearful Askren shared how he got to know everything from his wife's journal and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love from the wrestling community and others.

"We'll kind of go through it all, and I just read through my wife's journal. It's like a movie, it's ridiculous. So I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was just amazing. It felt so good."

Kyle Dake, one of the greatest wrestlers in the nation, made the Olympic team in 2020 and 2024, winning bronze in his respective weight category in both editions.

Kyle Dake and Carter Starocci went head-on at the World Team Trials

Dake at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 14 - (Source: Getty)

Kyle Dake and Carter Starocci, two of the most formidable wrestlers in the circuit currently, clashed against each other in the 86 kg category at the World Team Trials. The intergenerational athletes, who also train together, put up a stellar show with Dake emerging victorious with a 3-3 decision on criteria victory.

Starocci, the first five-time NCAA champion in history, didn't shy away from taking a dig at Dake, saying :

"Man it’s super weird having your coaches coach against you. Dake deserved it, good job man and thanks for the help along the way!"

Kyle Dake had a good comeback, responding:

"Heard that, thanks for not splitting my eye open more"

Dake was also in contention at the US Open Wrestling Championships, where he lost the title to Zahid Valencia in the 86 kg category.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder