Ben Askren, at 42 years old, made an unbelievable return to competition this past weekend, stepping onto the wrestling mat at RAF 11 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, less than a year after staring down death itself.
The Impossible Comeback No One Saw Coming
The comeback story is absolutely wild. Last year, the legendary wrestler, Olympian, and former MMA champ battled severe pneumonia that changed his life forever. His heart stopped four different times during the process, all before a life-saving double-lung transplant. Doctors weren’t keen on him competing. Yet, against insane odds, Askren recovered enough to lace up and face former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. Seriously, who does that?
Not His Lungs, But His Legs: The Brutal Truth
Askren lost the match by a 6-3 score. But he started strong, outscoring Muhammad with the opening three points! He told Uncrowned it was a “great ending,” saying he “did the very best I could.” The real kicker, the specific truth he dropped on “The Ariel Helwani Show” Monday, was that his recently transplanted lungs were not the problem. He clarified he misspoke out of exhaustion. His lungs were “fine.” The true culprit for his competitive downfall? His legs. He admitted, “My legs won’t go hard for six minutes.” His strategy had to be super crafty, controlling the hand-fight or forcing Muhammad to shoot, because he knew his legs would just give out. After the second period, he already knew his legs were “just about done.” That’s brutal honesty.
Pushing the Walls Back After Staring Death in the Face
When you hear him talk about the lead-up, you get why his body pushed its limits. “I started out at such a low point, it’s hard to even describe,” Askren said. Imagine not being able to stand on your own power. That’s where he was. He said the kind of tired he felt training was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He had to constantly push himself to failure just to figure out his new limits, based on medications and how far he’d come. This wasn’t just a physical battle; it was a constant recalibration. The dude literally pushed the walls back to step into that ring one more time.
So, what does this final wrestling match mean? Askren might have lost the score, but what he gained back, what he showed us about sheer will and the fight to get back to what you love, that’s impossible to quantify. He truly got the goodbye he almost never had, and he did it on his own terms. It’s a testament to a legendary career, wrapped up with an improbable, gut-wrenching, but incredibly real comeback.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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