Ben Askren is competing again for the very first time since his near-death health issues that left him hospitalized for over a month.
Askren, a former Bellator champion and retired UFC fighter, booked a freestyle wrestling match against ex-UFC champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of RAF 11. The match will be contested at cruiserweight, and will go down at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wis. The event streams live on FOX Nation. RAF announced the news of the booking on Monday.
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About a year ago, Askren was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia. Askren almost didn’t make it through, as he “died four times” in the process before getting a double-lung transplant. Askren also lost 50 pounds while hospitalized.
This will be Askren’s debut under the RAF banner. “Funky,” a two-time NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion, has only competed once since retiring from MMA in 2019. His only competition since retirement was a professional boxing bout against Jake Paul, which he lost by KO.
On the other hand, Muhammad will be making his second appearance at RAF. Muhammad competed at RAF 04 in December, losing to David Carr. The 37-year-old fights in MMA this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 278 against Gabriel Bonfim.
