Ben Askren admits double-lung transplant almost feels like a ‘bad dream’ now that he’s wrestling again just one year later | MMA Fighting Skip to main content Come Fight With UsThursday, July 16, 2026MMA Fighting homepage The Feed Ben Askren returns to wrestling with a match booked against Belal Muhammad on Saturday It’s hard to believe that Ben Askren is returning for a wrestling match in RAF just barely one year removed from a near-death experience that ended with him receiving a double-lung transplant. The one-time Olympian was hospitalized, and comatose for days, before doctors were finally able to save his life. He was barely recognizable when he first woke up and offered an update on his condition. That was June 2025 and now Askren sits just days away from facing Belal Muhammad in the RAF 11 co-main event. “It really is [crazy],” Askren told MMA Fighting. “I’m almost to the point where it seems like a bad dream or something sometimes. I feel like I’m just me now. Obviously, I take medicine everyday, and there’s still some limitations that I can’t forget about, but I do find myself feeling more and more normal. At points it does just seem like a terrible dream.”
Published: July 15, 2026 1:00 pm
Source: MMA Fighting — Read original