Ex-UFC star set for ‘absurd’ return after life-saving surgery
Former UFC star and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren will make his return to competition next month, just a year after undergoing life-saving surgery.
Askren required a double lung transplant last June after a severe bout of pneumonia that hospitalised him for two months.
Ben Askren poses at a 2021 fight weigh-in. Getty
There were grave concerns at the time about the 41-year-old’s health, especially when he posted videos online of his significant weight loss and phyiscal decline.
But since returning home to continue his recovery, Askren has made a drastic improvement - so drastic in fact that he will compete for the Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling promotion on July 19 (AEST) against Belal Muhammad.
Askren confirmed the news during an interview with veteran combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani on Tuesday morning (AEST).
“Well, I’m gonna wrestle - what do you think about that?” he said, to which Helwani was left in disbelief.
“It’s on July 18th and it’s my birthday. Something spoke to me and said ‘I need to wrestle on that’ and I’m doing my very best every single day to train and get in shape and it’s feeling really good wrestling with the guys.
“I’m not going super hard yet, but I’m doing some things.”
Helwani described the comeback plan as “absurd” and questioned whether Askren ever thought he would return to active competition.
“I still question it,” he laughed.
“I couldn’t feed myself, I couldn’t stand up, I couldn’t do anything [after surgery] ... but I told my doctor I wanted to go back to my life and doing what I love.”
Askren rose to prominence in the US during his collegiate wrestling days, where he was a two-time NCAA Division I champion and four-time finalist.
After competing at the Olympics and making the quarter finals, Askren took his skills to mixed martial arts and finished with a 19-2 (1 no contest) record.
Ben Askren with the 2008 US Olympic team. Getty
He competed in one professional boxing bout in 2021, losing to Jake Paul.
Askren’s return to the wrestling mats against Muhammad - a current UFC fighter and former welterweight champion - will only be a one-off occurrence.
“I’m not wrestling again. I’m gonna do it once, and I’m gonna enjoy it,” he said.
“ ... Even my best-case scenario wasn’t as good as how it’s going.”
