Former UFC fighter Ben Askren is set to return to competitive wrestling on Saturday, exactly a year after nearly dying from a lung infection that required a double lung transplant. The bout against ex-UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, organised by Real American Freestyle (RAF), falls on Askren's 42nd birthday and takes place in his home town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marking a remarkable milestone in his recovery.

Askren said he "died four times" last year after a staph infection developed into pneumonia, leading to a double lung transplant on 28 June 2025. He spent 37 days in a coma, dropped to just 63kg, and had to relearn how to walk, speak and eat, documenting the process on social media. The Muhammad fight, which he says will be a one-off, appears on a card headlined by fellow former UFC fighters Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan; Askren, who moved from wrestling into MMA before retiring in 2019 and later lost a 2021 boxing bout to Jake Paul, said the experience has transformed his outlook on life and mortality.