Former UFC star Ben Askren promotes crypto scam after near-death experience

Former UFC star Ben Askren, just one day after being discharged from the hospital following a double lung transplant and claiming he had "died four times," promoted a blatant cryptocurrency scam. The meme coin "FUNKY" on Solana that he promoted experienced a "rug pull" just hours after its launch.

Connection to Sahil Arora and scam history

The "FUNKY" token, named after Askren, appears to be part of a paid advertising campaign with Sahil Arora, a meme coin creator known for similar tricks, previously involved in the Caitlyn Jenner incident.

Askren's post on X (formerly Twitter) led many to initially believe that his account had been hacked. However, Arora claimed he paid Askren to promote the token, providing proof of the transaction. Arora stated that Askren was aware he was promoting the meme coin, but Arora is notorious for scamming celebrities into promoting meme coins without them fully understanding the nature. For instance, Caitlyn Jenner thought she was promoting a crypto project, while Jason Derulo thought he was promoting a crypto casino.

Arora claimed to have paid Askren a mid-six-figure sum to help cover his hospital bills. However, the Funky token failed miserably, reaching a market cap peak of only $29,000, and Arora stated he lost money on this venture. Notably, Askren's post remains on X, unlike previous incidents involving Arora, where celebrities often quickly deleted their posts and claimed to have been hacked or scammed. #anhbacong