Former UFC star Corey Anderson praises Ben Askren amidst health concerns

Former UFC star Corey Anderson has praised his friend Ben Askren as he continues to go through his health scare.

As we know, Ben Askren has been dealing with some pretty serious health problems as of late. Between a nasty staph infection and pneumonia, Ben was forced to undergo a double lung transplant. While that has now taken place, there’s still a long road ahead for him as he attempts to recover from this setback.

RELATED: Former UFC star Ben Askren receives good news amid dire health situation

While he’s often been outspoken in his career, Askren has earned the respect of the masses through his work both in wrestling and mixed martial arts. He’s achieved some wonderful things and hopefully, he’ll get the chance to do even more once he’s fully recovered.

Recently, the aforementioned Corey Anderson took some time out of his day to praise Askren and thank him for everything he’s done for him personally over the years.

.@CoreyA_MMA cannot understate how much of an impact Ben Askren had on his life:

“I met my wife because of Ben Askren. I have two beautiful kids. I have a wife. I’ve got a fight career. Everything I have in an adult life, it came because of Ben Askren.”

(🎥 @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/6jPtVoP2lm

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 6, 2025

Anderson praises Askren

“It hits my wife more,” Anderson told MMA Fighting. “I’m not an emotional guy. Like right now I feel when you mention Ben’s name, the tears start rolling behind the eyes. Every night we do the prayer thing for him. I come in from the gym or wherever and I can hear her in there on the Zoom and every time she comes out with tears in her eyes.

“It’s just like any time we talk about the situation or someone posts [something] and she shares it to me and we start talking about it, I can see her hurting.”

“Not just my career but my life—my life wouldn’t be what it was if it wasn’t for Ben,” Anderson said. “That’s not just competing. That’s my life. I met my wife because of Ben Askren. I have two beautiful kids. I have a wife. I’ve got a fight career. It’s kind of like everything I have in an adult life, it came because of Ben Askren.

“Because this guy invited me to an MMA gym and the day I walked into an MMA gym, my wife was working behind the desk that day. That’s when I first met her. Years later we ended up starting a relationship and then she moved here.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting