Ben Askren says his double-lung transplant now almost feels like a bad dream after returning to wrestling just one year after the procedure. The former UFC and Bellator welterweight champion says he is feeling increasingly normal as he continues his recovery.
Ben Askren has returned to wrestling just one year after undergoing a double-lung transplant, with the former welterweight champion describing the experience of his recovery as something that increasingly feels like a distant memory.
Askren, 41, made his name as one of the most dominant grapplers in combat sports history, compiling a 19-2-0 professional record across stints in Bellator and the UFC. The American fighter, who trains out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, built his career around suffocating wrestling, averaging 4.33 takedowns per 15 minutes during his time in MMA competition. Known by his nickname "Funky," the orthodox-stance welterweight also showed more striking output than many expected from a pure wrestling specialist, landing 3.64 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy.
The double-lung transplant represented a life-altering medical event, and the fact that Askren is back on the mat at all within 12 months is a remarkable development in his recovery. He has described feeling increasingly normal as he continues to regain his health, framing the ordeal as one that now seems almost surreal in hindsight.
Why it matters
- Askren's return to wrestling highlights the progress of his recovery from one of the most serious medical procedures a person can undergo
- At 41, with a near-complete MMA career behind him, his focus appears to be on physical rehabilitation and the sport that first defined him rather than a competitive combat sports comeback
- His public updates on the process offer rare visibility into long-term recovery following major organ transplant surgery
