Ben Askren wrestles year after double lung transplant
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- Ben Askren, former UFC fighter, is set to compete in a Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling match against ex-UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on Saturday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — his 42nd birthday.
- Askren required a double lung transplant on 28 June 2025 after a staph infection developed into pneumonia; he spent 37 days in a coma and lost nearly a third of his bodyweight, dropping to 63kg.
- Askren said he "died four times" during the ordeal and emerged unable to walk, speak, or eat, telling nurses he wanted to go home for his birthday last year but "couldn't stand up or go to the bathroom under my own power."
- Askren was the first wrestler signed by RAF in May 2025 before being sidelined by his illness, and called the Muhammad bout a one-off, adding that his "perception on mortality and life has been changed significantly."
- The RAF card is headlined by former UFC fighters Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan, with Askren's match serving as the comeback centerpiece.
Why it matters: A professional fighter competing at 42, barely a year after a double lung transplant and a 37-day coma, defies the usual retirement arc for combat-sports athletes and puts a human face on organ-transplant recovery — Askren himself frames it not as a competition but as gratitude, telling media he no longer cares about winning or losing.
