Ben Askren’s reply carries additional weight due to how shortly his situation worsened afterward. The previous Bellator and ONE champion fighter spent 59 days within the hospital, fell right into a deep coma, acquired a double lung transplant, and technically “died” 4 instances through the ordeal.
“I simply learn by my spouse’s journal, and it’s like a film,” he stated again in 2025. “It’s ridiculous. I solely died 4 instances, the place the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That’s not preferrred; I don’t know if you happen to guys know that.”
Within the blink of an eye fixed, what started as a staph an infection was life-threatening pneumonia, practically killing him. That’s the reason Ben Askren appears pissed off by claims that Kyle Busch’s demise “made no sense.” His argument was easy: extreme infections can generally spiral out of nowhere, even in high-level athletes who regarded wholesome simply days earlier.
Since surviving the ordeal, ‘Funky’ has spoken brazenly about how a lot the expertise modified his perspective on life. The 41-year-old has slowly returned to gentle coaching, media appearances, and even ended long-running feuds comparable to his bitter rivalry with Jorge Masvidal.
However when it got here to the web hypothesis surrounding Busch’s demise, Askren clearly felt the necessity to step in as a result of, not like most individuals who remark on-line, he has personally skilled one thing frighteningly comparable.
It will be attention-grabbing to see if Dana White and firm plan to ship a touching tribute to the NASCAR Cup Collection champion at UFC Freedom 250. In any case, TKO would possibly really push the promotion to ship one, contemplating the truth that the 41-year-old really held a title within the WWE and was beloved by Donald Trump.
Kyle Busch’s WWE historical past and Donald Trump connection might result in a UFC White Home tribute
The potential of a tribute at UFC Freedom 250 might not be far-fetched in any respect. Though Kyle Busch was finest identified for his NASCAR profession, the late racing icon had a surprisingly robust connection to skilled wrestling lengthy earlier than his sudden passing shocked the sports activities world.
Busch was a longtime WWE fan, and in 2009, he appeared on World Wrestling Leisure tv as a celeb guest-host alongside fellow NASCAR driver Joey Logano. His pure villain-like character instantly appealed to wrestling followers, and the bond between NASCAR and WWE obtained stronger in consequence.
Later that yr, Kyle Busch gained at Texas Motor Speedway in a modified WWE-themed inventory automobile, then celebrated with a reproduction WWE Championship belt in victory lane, creating probably the most well-known crossover moments between racing and wrestling.
Busch’s most memorable WWE second got here years later in 2019, throughout NASCAR Champion’s Week in Nashville, when he attended a reside WWE present together with his household and obtained concerned in a comical sequence with R-Reality and WWE 24/7 Championship chaos, as he pinned Reality to win the title, changing into the one NASCAR driver to ever accomplish that.
Along with WWE, Kyle Busch was extremely admired by Donald Trump himself, as evident from the tribute the POTUS paid to the NASCAR icon.
“The LEGENDARY NASCAR driver Kyle Busch tragically and unexpectedly handed away yesterday,” he wrote on X. “He was a real expertise who beloved NASCAR and its followers. Kyle was a WINNER! He was a two-time Cup Champion, and holds the all-time report for WINS in NASCAR’s High Three sequence, and even gained one other simply final weekend.
“Kyle’s spouse, Samantha, and their two lovely kids are in our ideas and prayers. Samantha was on the White Home in October for IVF. She actually beloved Kyle! Relaxation in peace, Kyle Busch. You’ll all the time be a LEGEND!”
Provided that WWE and UFC at the moment are each below the TKO banner, and UFC Freedom 250 is being constructed round Donald Trump’s White Home celebration, it wouldn’t be shocking if the corporate discovered a solution to honor Busch throughout probably the most American-themed occasions in UFC historical past.
