Ben Askren is back, and he’s feeling better than ever. The former UFC fighter announced that he will return to competition at RAF 11.
The announcement comes just shy of one year after Ben Askren underwent a double lung transplant following a battle with pneumonia. After spending nearly two months in the hospital, Askren was finally able to return home, where he has continued to improve his health.
Now, he is set to make his RAF debut. Askren has served as one of the promotion’s matchmakers since its inception less than a year ago.
Ben Askren revealed the news during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday. The former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder announced that he will face former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in a wrestling match.
“Something spoke to me and said, ‘I need to wrestle on that,’” Askren recalled. “So, I’ve been doing my very best every single day to train and to get in shape, and it’s feeling really good. I’m in the wrestling room. I’m wrestling with the guys. Not super hard yet, but I’m doing things.
“So, I told them last week, ‘Hey, I want to wrestle.’ They said, ‘OK, if you want to wrestle, we support it.’”
Askren will turn 42 years old on the day he steps onto the mat against Muhammad. The event also carries special significance for him, as he spent part of his career training at Roufusport in Milwaukee under the late Duke Roufus.
Meanwhile, Muhammad will make his second appearance under the RAF banner as he looks to secure his first victory in the promotion. He dropped a match to David Carr at RAF 4 last December.
Before turning his attention to Askren, Muhammad is scheduled to compete in the Octagon this Saturday when he takes on Gabriel Bonfim in the main event of UFC Vegas 118.
