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Iowa native Ben Askren is competing at an upcoming Real American Freestyle card for the first time since his near-death experience last summer.
The former Bellator and UFC fighter is booked in a freestyle wrestling match against ex-UFC champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of RAF11, an Olympic-style wrestling event that bills itself as "the first unscripted pro wrestling league."
Askren, a decorated amateur wrestler and retired MMA fighter, was hospitalized in late May 2025 with a severe case of pneumonia. The soon‑to‑be 42‑year‑old was then put on a ventilator and ECMO, which resulted in him receiving a double lung transplant.
The news of Askren's return to competition drew both skepticism and praise from fans and fellow combat sports athletes alike. One-time Iowa wrestling commit Bo Basset and former UFC champions Merab Dvalishvili and Anthony Pettis were among those who voiced their support for his return.
Here's what to know about Askren's current condition and how you can watch him compete later this summer.
Askren said he has no memory of the period from May 28 to July 2, 2025, when he was fighting for his life in a Milwaukee‑area hospital.
He told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in September 2025 that he developed necrotizing pneumonia, a rare form of pneumonia that damages lung tissue stemming from developing a staph infection on his elbow.
His condition deteriorated to the point that he was placed in a medically induced coma on a ventilator, with his wife Amy publicly describing him as in critical condition. Askren was placed on the transplant list on June 24 and received a donor days later.
More: What happened to Ben Askren? Former wrestling star and Iowa native shares health update
In a July 9, 2025, Instagram post, he revealed he "died four times where the [heart] stopped for about 20 seconds," during his stay in the hospital, and lost 50 pounds in 45 days.
The wrestling match this July for Askren is a comeback few thought possible, given that he told Helwani he thought he would never wrestle again. In recent posts to his social media accounts, Askren appears to be much healthier, less than a year removed from his life‑saving double lung transplant. A June 1 Instagram video shows Askren demonstrating grappling techniques to a class of young wrestlers.
However, some online have voiced their concern about Askren returning to competition after such a serious medical scare. A post on X with over 12,000 likes as of June 5 details the long‑term mortality risks lung‑transplant recipients face and questions whether competing again is worth the potential risk.
Askren was born in Cedar Rapids on July 18, 1984, though he grew up and lived primarily in Wisconsin. In his 2022 autobiography, he stated that he felt jaded because Iowa never recruited him out of high school.
"I knew how good I was, and I knew what was in me to do, so it really bothered me that the big colleges — Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma State — didn't recruit me at all. That stayed with me," Askren wrote.
Askren was a three-time Big 12 wrestling champion at Missouri and joins Iowa State's Cael Sandersonand Iowa's SpencerLee as one of only a few people to win the Dan Hodge Trophy multiple times. Askren retired from MMA in 2019 with a 19-2-1 professional record, but returned for a one-off boxing bout vs. Jake Paul in 2021.
The match will be contested at cruiserweight — a 190-pound weight limit — and will take place at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee. It marks a full‑circle moment for Askren, who was the first wrestler RAF signed when the promotion launched in May 2025, according to The Athletic.
Wrestling starts at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 18 — Askren's birthday — according to RAF's website. A Fox Nation subscription is required to watch RAF11. The main event of RAF11 features former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington in a grappling match with current UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.
MMA Junkie reporter Danny Segura contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa's Ben Askren makes wrestling comeback after near-death experience
Continue reading...
The former Bellator and UFC fighter is booked in a freestyle wrestling match against ex-UFC champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of RAF11, an Olympic-style wrestling event that bills itself as "the first unscripted pro wrestling league."
Askren, a decorated amateur wrestler and retired MMA fighter, was hospitalized in late May 2025 with a severe case of pneumonia. The soon‑to‑be 42‑year‑old was then put on a ventilator and ECMO, which resulted in him receiving a double lung transplant.
The news of Askren's return to competition drew both skepticism and praise from fans and fellow combat sports athletes alike. One-time Iowa wrestling commit Bo Basset and former UFC champions Merab Dvalishvili and Anthony Pettis were among those who voiced their support for his return.
Here's what to know about Askren's current condition and how you can watch him compete later this summer.
Askren's unlikely return to the mat
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Askren said he has no memory of the period from May 28 to July 2, 2025, when he was fighting for his life in a Milwaukee‑area hospital.
He told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in September 2025 that he developed necrotizing pneumonia, a rare form of pneumonia that damages lung tissue stemming from developing a staph infection on his elbow.
His condition deteriorated to the point that he was placed in a medically induced coma on a ventilator, with his wife Amy publicly describing him as in critical condition. Askren was placed on the transplant list on June 24 and received a donor days later.
More: What happened to Ben Askren? Former wrestling star and Iowa native shares health update
In a July 9, 2025, Instagram post, he revealed he "died four times where the [heart] stopped for about 20 seconds," during his stay in the hospital, and lost 50 pounds in 45 days.
The wrestling match this July for Askren is a comeback few thought possible, given that he told Helwani he thought he would never wrestle again. In recent posts to his social media accounts, Askren appears to be much healthier, less than a year removed from his life‑saving double lung transplant. A June 1 Instagram video shows Askren demonstrating grappling techniques to a class of young wrestlers.
However, some online have voiced their concern about Askren returning to competition after such a serious medical scare. A post on X with over 12,000 likes as of June 5 details the long‑term mortality risks lung‑transplant recipients face and questions whether competing again is worth the potential risk.
Where is Ben Askren from?
Askren was born in Cedar Rapids on July 18, 1984, though he grew up and lived primarily in Wisconsin. In his 2022 autobiography, he stated that he felt jaded because Iowa never recruited him out of high school.
"I knew how good I was, and I knew what was in me to do, so it really bothered me that the big colleges — Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma State — didn't recruit me at all. That stayed with me," Askren wrote.
Askren was a three-time Big 12 wrestling champion at Missouri and joins Iowa State's Cael Sandersonand Iowa's SpencerLee as one of only a few people to win the Dan Hodge Trophy multiple times. Askren retired from MMA in 2019 with a 19-2-1 professional record, but returned for a one-off boxing bout vs. Jake Paul in 2021.
You must be registered for see images attach
How to watch RAF11
The match will be contested at cruiserweight — a 190-pound weight limit — and will take place at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee. It marks a full‑circle moment for Askren, who was the first wrestler RAF signed when the promotion launched in May 2025, according to The Athletic.
Wrestling starts at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 18 — Askren's birthday — according to RAF's website. A Fox Nation subscription is required to watch RAF11. The main event of RAF11 features former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington in a grappling match with current UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.
MMA Junkie reporter Danny Segura contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa's Ben Askren makes wrestling comeback after near-death experience
Continue reading...
