Belal Muhammad spoiled Ben Askren’s wrestling return on Saturday, beating him 6-3 at RAF 11 inside University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Watch the highlights below.
Ben Askren just retired after his wrestling match against Belal Muhammad
“Every single day I wake up and thank God for the chance to do it one more time.” pic.twitter.com/9QBe8n6Dmt
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) July 19, 2026
Muhammad Took The Scoreboard And The Takedown Edge
The official RAF card gave Muhammad the win and credited him with the cleaner control positions all night. The public result block showed a 6-3 final margin and a 3-0 takedown edge for Muhammad, which matched the shape of the match even if Askren kept trying to drag exchanges into scrambles.
Askren needed long scrambles and extended mat exchanges to turn the match in his direction. Muhammad kept those openings limited, forcing the bout back into control positions often enough for the score to widen once the pace settled.
Askren still made the walk one year after a life-threatening illness and double-lung transplant. Once the whistle blew, Muhammad won the card, took all three credited takedowns, and left Milwaukee with Askren’s first RAF loss on the record.
Muhammad Spoils Askren’s RAF Debut
Askren’s comeback remained part of the story. MiddleEasy had already covered both his return to training after the transplant and the more recent way he described the ordeal as a terrible dream before RAF 11. Saturday also put him back in a real scored match at 42 years old.
Muhammad, the 38-year-old former UFC champion from Chicago, improved to 1-1 in RAF and used the same grinding style that has carried him through years of elite MMA competition. Askren dropped to 0-1 in RAF after the comeback appearance, and the official event page listed him behind from start to finish on points.
RAF 11 aired on FOX Nation on July 18, 2026. Askren got back on the mat in Milwaukee, and Muhammad left with the decision, the takedown edge, and his first RAF win.
