Ben Askren Wrestles 1 Year After Double Lung Transplant Surgery, 1st Match Since Jake Paul TKO Loss

Former MMA star Ben Askren competed for the first time since his double lung transplant in 2025.

Askren lost 6-3 to Belal Muhammad in the co-main event of Saturday's Real American Freestyle event.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto noted the 42-year-old started strong before "noticeably fatiguing in the final round."

Askren subsequently retired and symbolically left his shoes on the mat.

"I get tired fast these days," he said. "I worked hard as s--t in the last year. Every single day I woke up and thanked God for the chance to do it one more time. I promised God I would make the most of this day."

This was Askren's first combat sports action of any kind since his unsuccessful foray into boxing. He suffered a first-round TKO at the hands of Jake Paul in 2021.

Askren walks away having compiled a 19-2 record in MMA. A two-time national champion at Missouri, he was also 31-11 in freestyle wrestling heading into his RAF debut.