Ben Askren returned from retirement for one last wrestling match on his 42nd birthday, July 18, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, organized by Real American Freestyle (RAF) [1, 2, 3].
Askren faced former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and lost by points, 6-3 [1, 2, 3]. Muhammad praised Askren as a "legend" and inspiration, saying, "He came back from death, this guy's a legend. He’s changing lives. I know, he changed my life... Life is precious. Go after it bro" [1].
Askren, who retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 after a brief UFC career, staged the comeback after surviving a near-fatal bout with pneumonia around 2025 that left him in a coma for 37 to 40 days and required a double lung transplant [1, 2, 3]. He lost nearly a third of his body weight during recovery and weighed about 63 kilograms for the fight [1].
Reflecting on the match, Askren said, "My legs gave out, they wouldn't carry me any longer. For sure it's my last time on the mat. I couldn't find a better place to do this. I worked hard over the last year. It was tough. Every day I woke up and thanked God for the chance to do it just one more time" [1].
Askren confirmed this would be his final wrestling contest after the match [1, 2, 3].
His comeback bout closed a remarkable chapter of recovery and competition following severe health crises, with the July 18 match marking the definitive end of Askren’s wrestling career [1, 2, 3].
