Teary UFC icon Ben Askren breaks silence from his hospital bed and reveals he 'died FOUR times' before life-saving double lung transplant

UFC icon Ben Askren has issued an update to his fans after undergoing a life-saving double lung transplant. 

Last month, Askren suffered a staph infection and contracted pneumonia, before being rushed to hospital on June 7 to be put on a ventilator in critical condition. 

Now, Askren has been seen for the first time since the incident, as he broke his silence with a video on Instagram. 

He began: 'What's up guys! I've not given you an update in a while and I feel like you deserve one. 

'I actually just read through my wife's journal because I don't remember anything from May 28th to July 2nd. No recollection. No idea what happened. 

'I just read through the journal and it's like a movie. So, I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. 

'But, I got the double lung transplant and made it out to the other side of it. I was actually 147lbs. I haven't been 147lbs since 15-years-old.

'The thing that was most impactful to me was the love I felt from everybody. It was almost like I got to have my own funeral.

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