Ben Askren to wrestle Belal Muhammad at RAF 11 after double lung transplant

Ben Askren will compete for the first time since undergoing a double lung transplant, facing former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at Real American Freestyle 11 on July 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Askren announced the booking on The Ariel Helwani Show, with RAF later confirming the matchup via social media.

The bout carries personal significance beyond the comeback narrative. July 18 is Askren’s birthday, and he said the date felt like a sign. “It was my birthday and I thought something spoke to me and said I need to wrestle on that,” Askren said. “So I’ve been doing my very best every single day to train and to get in shape and it’s feeling really good. I’m in the wrestling room. I’m wrestling with the guys — not super hard yet, but I’m doing things.”

Askren had been a RAF signee since May 2025, before his health collapsed. That same month, he was hospitalised with pneumonia and placed on a ventilator, coming close to death on multiple occasions. He lost approximately 50 pounds in under two months before doctors approved him for a double lung transplant. Recovery has been gradual, with Askren returning to coaching practices over the past three months before deciding to pursue active competition.

“I told my doctor, ‘I want to go back to coaching practices. I want to go back to my life. I want to go back to doing what I love,’” Askren said. “He said, ‘You can. You have to be a little smarter. You’d have to take a few more precautions.’”

A two-time NCAA national champion at the University of Missouri and a 2008 Olympian, Askren is one of the most decorated wrestlers to cross over into MMA. He competed in Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, and the UFC before retiring from the sport in 2019.

Muhammad, for his part, is no stranger to RAF competition. The former UFC welterweight champion made his promotional debut in December, losing to David Carr via technical fall. He is also scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 278 against Gabriel Bonfim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday, meaning the Milwaukee date represents a second combat sports outing in a busy stretch for “Remember the Name.”