Former UFC fighter, MMA champion, and two-time NCAA champion Ben Askren will return to wrestling competition at Real American Freestyle, one year after battling a near-death health scare that stemmed from a severe staph infection. “Funky” will compete at RAF 11 in Milwaukee on July 18th and face former UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad.
Last summer, Askren suffered from a staph infection that left him in critical condition and comatose. Askren underwent a double lung transplant and was legally pronounced dead four times, according to Askren.
Real American Freestyle announced the match on social media (via Real American Freestyle on X):
Askren was interviewed by Ariel Helwani on “The Ariel Helwani Show” podcast and talked about his return to the mats:
“Funky” spoke candidly about his health struggles and his journey back to competition-ready fitness.
He told Helwani, “It was probably only five or six months ago when I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded and struggling,” he admitted. “So my physical capacity was pretty much zero, and now I said I trained pretty much every single day in some way, shape, or form, trying to build myself back.”
Askren, who works as an analyst for Real American Freestyle, also admitted this upcoming match was a one-off event. Still, his return to any level of competition, given his circumstances just a year ago, is a feat in and of itself.
He faces former UFC champ Belal Muhammad, who does not nearly have the same amount of wrestling experience as Askren, but is known for his wrestling-heavy approach in MMA fights.
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“Belal is really, really tough, but he doesn’t have super high-level wrestling credentials,” Askren said. “I know I couldn’t compete with some of the high-level wrestlers at this point in my life, but I feel like I could still compete against someone really good.”
Askren also called out other competitors in RAF, claiming they try to get favorable matchups and easy wins.
He remarked, “I didn’t want to go the other side and pick someone who was too easy, because that annoys me. Some of the wrestlers in RAF actually, they want easy matches, and it’s annoying because it’s like you’re really, really good, you don’t get to go beat up an easy guy.”
“Like, what is the point of competition? The point of competition is to see what we’re capable of,” he stated. “If I know that person is really wimpy, then what’s the point of competing against them?”
Askren’s Credentials
Despite his age at 41 and his health battle last year, Askren’s credentials in the sport are solid.
Askren is a four-time finalist NCAA finalist and two-time NCAA champion when he competed at the University of Missouri and was nicknamed “Funky” for his unorthodox, scramble-heavy style that revolutionized the sport. He even made the U.S.A. national team and competed as an Olympian at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Askren gained fame as an MMA fighter, winning the welterweight belt at ONE Championship, competing in the UFC against legendary names like Robbie Lawler and Demian Maia.
Ben Askren / Getty Images
His most infamous moment in the UFC was his fight with Jorge Masvidal, in which he was knocked out in record time:
After his MMA career, Askren fought against Jake Paul in a boxing match, losing via KO. He went on to coach wrestling at the Askren Wrestling Academy in Wisconsin.
He will need to rely on his vast experience and knowledge in order to compete with Muhammad, who is significantly more active in competition and holds the edge over Askren when it comes to athleticism and youth.
