Ben Askren set for first combat sports appearance since near-death experience

Ben Askren will return to active competition on July 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, facing Belal Muhammad at Real American Freestyle 11. Askren announced the booking on The Ariel Helwani Show, and Real American Freestyle later confirmed the Real American Freestyle 11 matchup on social media. Hospitalized with pneumonia last May, he was placed on a ventilator and approved for a double lung transplant before a gradual recovery. He has returned to coaching and resumed training toward the Milwaukee date, which is his birthday. A two-time NCAA champion and 2008 Olympian, Askren later competed in Bellator, ONE, and the UFC before retiring in 2019. Muhammad, a former UFC welterweight champion, debuted in RAF in December with a technical fall loss to David Carr.