Jake Paul's Comments About Ben Askren Made Some Believe He Paid for the Fighter's Transplant
"I feel like I have to do something," he said in a post-MMA fight press conference.
Published July 10 2025, 10:15 a.m. ET
YouTuber and MMA champion Jake Paul might be the clearest example of leaving the fight in the ring when it comes to fellow MMA fighter Ben Askren. Well, in their case, it would be the octagon and not the ring, but after Ben began fighting for his life and was in need of a double lung transplant, many believe that Jake came to the rescue financially.
In June 2025, Ben's wife, Amy Askren, shared a Facebook post about Ben's suddenly serious condition in the hospital. According to her, Ben came down with a case of "severe pneumonia," which left him hospitalized. As a result, he later needed a double lung transplant, but his insurance reportedly was unable to cover the costs. After Jake made comments about helping out with that, many were left wondering if Jake actually paid for Ben's lung transplant in full.
Did Jake Paul pay for Ben Askren's lung transplant?
Judging by what Jake said about Ben's procedure and the amount that his health insurance wouldn't cover, it sounds like Jake at least played a small role in paying for some of Ben's hospital bills related to the transplant. On June 29, 2025, after an MMA match, Jake spoke to the press and shared his thoughts on Ben's condition at the time.
He said that insurance is a "scam" and that, in his eyes, "right when you need these companies, they're not there." Jake also said that he was "figuring out the donation" amount and that he felt the need to step in and "do something" even if other MMA fighters were, according to him, not stepping in to help Ben. He later posted a "shoutout" to Ben on X (formerly Twitter).
On July 9, 2025, Ben shared an update on his Instagram account following his double lung transplant. It was the first update made by him in weeks. In his video, he explains that he doesn't even remember anything from May, when he was hospitalized, up until his procedure. He also says he is recovering but that he "died four times" during his double transplant.
Ben Askren's wife shared other ways they earned money for the procedure.
Although Jake did appear to publicly announce his plans to donate money to help pay for Ben's transplant, according to Ben's wife Amy, money for the procedure and hospital bills came from multiple sources. In June, Amy posted on Facebook that a company had created a T-shirt in Ben's honor, with the proceeds going to medical bills.
Amy and her family also have an official fundraiser page for medical expenses. Although Jake's name isn't listed as one of the donors who commented on the page, it's possible that he donated something anonymously or donated money to Ben's family directly.
Amy also posted in July that friends of their family had set up a lemonade stand to help earn money for Ben's medical fund.