Wrestling legend Ben Askren is returning to competitors for the primary time since surviving a life-threatening lung transplant, and he’s doing it on his birthday in opposition to a former UFC champion. Askren will face Belal Muhammad in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 11 on July 18, 2026, on the UW-Milwaukee Panther Enviornment. The bout serves because the co-main occasion, with Arman Tsarukyan vs. Colby Covington headlining the cardboard.
Ben Askren Returns to Wrestling for Ultimate Match at RAF 11 In opposition to Belal Muhammad
Askren, 41, comes off a near-fatal well being disaster that started with extreme pneumonia attributable to a staph an infection on his elbow. He was hospitalized for over a month and required a double lung transplant on June 30, 2025, lower than a yr earlier than this comeback. Docs stated the surgical procedure saved his life. He has not competed since, making this his first match in roughly seven years.
This will probably be Askren’s solely aggressive appearance. He confirmed throughout an look on The Ariel Helwani Present that RAF 11 will probably be his final match. He was truly the primary athlete signed to Actual American Freestyle in Might 2025, however fell ailing earlier than he may compete. Since recovering, he’s been teaching for about three months and main wrestling clinics via Askren’s Wrestling Academy. He additionally serves as a commentator for RAF.
The timing of the struggle is private for Askren. July 18 is his forty second birthday, and he stated he particularly lobbied for a present in Milwaukee, his residence state, as a result of the date matched. “One thing spoke to me,” he stated. “I stated I must wrestle on that day.”
Belal Muhammad, 37, is a former UFC welterweight champion recognized for his wrestling-heavy MMA model, although he doesn’t have Askren’s elite novice wrestling pedigree. Muhammad competes at 170 lbs in MMA, stands 5’11”, and has knowledgeable document of 24–5–0. He beforehand competed in RAF at occasion 4 in December 2025, the place he misplaced to David Carr. The Askren-Muhammad bout will probably be contested at cruiserweight.
The occasion will stream completely on FOX Nation. Extra matchups for RAF 11 are anticipated to be introduced within the coming weeks on the promotion’s web site. Tickets can be found via RAF’s Instagram publish saying the struggle.
Askren’s wrestling résumé is intensive. He’s a two-time NCAA Division I champion (2006, 2007) from the College of Missouri, a 2008 Olympic alternate, and a former Bellator welterweight champion who held the title twice. He retired from MMA in 2019 after a loss to Jorge Masvidal set a document for quickest knockout in UFC historical past. His solely post-retirement competitors earlier than this was knowledgeable boxing match in opposition to Jake Paul, which he misplaced by KO.
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The wrestling group has reacted with excessive anticipation. Many view the match as a “victory lap” for Askren’s survival and restoration. His comeback is being known as one of the vital unbelievable returns in sports activities historical past, given how shut he got here to loss of life throughout his month-long hospital keep.
RAF 11 marks a big second for Actual American Freestyle, a brand new unscripted professional wrestling league constructed for elite athletes. The promotion blends freestyle wrestling with spectacle and has attracted a number of UFC stars to its roster. Askren’s return provides main credibility and emotional weight to the occasion.
