Ben Askren is getting back on the mat, and Belal Muhammad is the name waiting for him.
Ariel Helwani reported that Askren will make his Real American Freestyle debut on July 18 in Milwaukee against Muhammad. RAF already has Arman Tsarukyan vs. Colby Covington set for the same card, so the promotion just added another MMA-wrestling crossover with some real bite.
Here’s the source post:
BREAKING: Ben Askren will make his @RAFWrestlingUSA debut in Milwaukee on July 18 against Belal Muhammad.
Askren was the first wrestler ever signed to RAF.
Unbelievable. Truly incredible. pic.twitter.com/bpgmE0QwTU
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 1, 2026
The booking is not just an MMA name getting tossed into a singlet for nostalgia. Askren is a 2008 U.S. Olympian, a two-time NCAA champion at Missouri, and a former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion. Muhammad is a former UFC welterweight champion with a 24-5 MMA record, and his whole game has always been built around pressure, clinch work, and pace.
Askren Says He Told RAF He Wanted To Wrestle
Askren spoke in the video attached to Helwani’s post and opened with the line that makes this whole thing feel very on-brand for “Funky.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to wrestle. What do you think about that?”
When Helwani reacted to the news, Askren kept it short.
“I can’t believe this.”
Askren said he had been linked to RAF before his health situation changed his plans.
“I was the first signee for Real American Freestyle back in May of 2025, prior to all my issues. And, you know, I love wrestling. I love what they’re doing.”
The Milwaukee date clearly mattered to him. Askren said he had already wanted RAF to run the city, then the July 18 timing pushed him toward competing.
“I’ve been back coaching for three months or so right now on regular practices. And when they told me many months ago that they were doing a show in Milwaukee, I asked them to come to Milwaukee because I knew we would knock it out of the park. But it was July 18th and it was my birthday, and I thought something spoke to me and said I need to wrestle on that.”
Askren said he has been training every day, though he was clear that he is still building back into full work.
“So I’ve been doing my very best every single day to train and to get in shape, and it’s feeling really good. And, you know, I’m in the wrestling room. I’m wrestling with the guys. I mean, not super hard yet, but I’m, you know, doing things.”
Askren said he was the one who kept asking for the match, and RAF backed him once he made it clear he wanted in.
“I told them yesterday, like, ‘Hey, I want to wrestle.’ And I said last week, ‘Hey, I want to wrestle.’ And they said, ‘Okay, if you want to wrestle, we support it.’”
Askren also laid out how close this match lands to his hospital timeline.
“May 28th was when I went into the hospital. June 28th was when I got the transplant. And then to my recollection, July 2nd is when I kind of like came to again.”
Helwani asked whether Askren thought there was a chance he would never compete in anything again. Askren did not dress it up.
“I still question it. I mean, obviously, when I woke up, I couldn’t feed myself. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t do anything.”
Askren said he spoke with his doctor as he started moving back toward coaching and regular life.
“As I was getting better, I told my doctor, I said, ‘Hey, man, I want to go back to coaching practices. I want to go back to my life. I want to go back to doing what I love.’”
According to Askren, the answer was not to act like nothing happened.
“He said, obviously, you can. You have to be a little smarter. You can be, like, take a few more precautions.”
Askren said he started with older athletes and kept strict distance rules around anyone sick.
“When I started back coaching, I was like, ‘Hey, I’m just going to start with just the high school kids, because they’re the oldest and the most mature enough. I say, hey, if you’re sick, I can’t be by you. So please just tell me, hey, I’m sick.’ And, you know, they’re way over there and I’m way over there. And I don’t get more close to them. And I’ve set up a handful of other things that help me stay safe.”
Askren vs. Muhammad gives RAF 11 a different kind of hook next to Tsarukyan’s move toward Covington. Askren’s entire fighting identity was built on wrestling long before the UFC call, while Muhammad now gets to test that style in a ruleset where every scramble matters.
