Former MMA champion and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren has been baptized alongside his wife Amy, marking his faith journey that began last summer following a life-threatening medical crisis.
Askren shared the news with his followers on Instagram, describing the moment as deeply personal.
“I got baptized last weekend, it was even more special because I was able to do it with my wife,” he wrote. “Amy has always been a believer and we have been going to church together for the last 16 years and for the last 16 years she has been praying for me to become a believer also. Last summer that happened and it felt so good to be able to become the man that my wife had been praying for.”
Last year, Askren was hospitalized after a severe pneumonia infection that triggered cardiac arrest four separate times.
He underwent a double lung transplant and lost 35 lbs (15.9 kg) during the ordeal, requiring him to essentially relearn basic physical tasks like walking and lifting light weights.
In a recent interview, Askren described his conversion as something that came over him with sudden and undeniable clarity. “I woke up, and I decided I was a Christian, so that’s crazy,” he said. “And it was really weird when I woke up. I’m like, I’ve got to do it, you know? So that was kind of weird.”
For years, Askren attended church beside his wife as an act of commitment to her rather than personal belief. “I went with my wife to church for 15 years because that was part of the deal. I said, I’m not a Christian, but I’ll support you.”
After sixteen years of showing up, something finally shifted.
On Instagram, he reflected on what his brush with mortality taught him. “Last summer taught me a lot of things and a big one was that we are not guaranteed any more days here on earth,” he wrote. “Everyday I pray and thank God for giving me the to live another day. I have immense gratitude to be able to spend it with my family and friends.”
During his recovery, Askren has been open about the wave of community support that helped carry him and his family through the hardest months.
“So many people donate money, watch our kids, donate food. A lot of friends come and hang out with me. So just so much gratitude for the community around me,” he said.
Askren also acknowledged that his new faith appears to have softened public perception of him, noting with some surprise that a figure who was once considered polarizing is now receiving almost universally warm responses. “I was always like, in my head, and I think this is true, I was a very controversial figure, you know?” he reflected.
He closed his Instagram post with a positive declaration: “Thank you to everyone who pushed me in my faith and prayed for me, I plan on spending the rest of my days spreading the word of Jesus and helping as many people as I can.”
The post drew an outpouring of responses from fans, fellow athletes, and members of the faith community, with many simply offering prayers and words of congratulations.
