Ben Askren is returning to competition for a grappling match against UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at RAF 11. The bout marks Askren's return to the mat after his retirement from MMA.
Ben Askren is coming out of MMA retirement to compete in a grappling match against UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at RAF 11, with the bout confirmed for June 2026.
Askren, 41, compiled a 19-2-0 record across his professional MMA career and built his reputation as one of the most suffocating wrestlers in the sport. The American, who trains out of Roufusport, averaged 4.33 takedowns per 15 minutes during his fighting days and posted a striking accuracy of 49 percent. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach, "Funky" was rarely troubled on the mat and the RAF 11 matchup gives him a chance to prove that edge still exists.
Muhammad, known as "Remember the Name," enters this grappling contest as the reigning UFC welterweight champion, carrying a 24-5-0 professional record and currently ranked sixth in the division and eighth pound-for-pound. The 37-year-old Chicago native also trains at Roufusport, making this something of an in-house matchup between teammates. Muhammad averages 4.43 significant strikes per minute in MMA competition and lands takedowns at a rate of 2.14 per 15 minutes, though grappling-only formats strip away the striking dimension that has defined much of his recent success.
Why it matters
- Askren's return puts one of wrestling's most celebrated MMA technicians back on a competitive mat after years away from the sport.
- Muhammad steps outside the UFC cage for the first time as champion, testing his grappling credentials in a pure format.
- The shared Roufusport gym connection adds an intriguing layer, with both men intimately familiar with each other's tendencies from training.
- A strong performance by either man carries implications for how the welterweight division's grappling hierarchy is perceived heading into 2026.
