Ben Askren has competed for the final time.The 42-year-old made an extraordinary return to competition under the Real American Freestyle (RAF) banner in Wisconsin on Saturday — a year after a life-saving surgery.Askren went through a massive body transformation in his journey battling pneumonia@benaskrenAskren was forced to have a double lung transplant due to a severe case of pneumonia, a disease he said killed him four times and left him on his deathbed.He has since recalled his children being told ‘dad’s dead’ before a miraculous recovery period that culminated with his wrestling match at RAF 11.Askren fought former UFC champion Belal Muhammad on the Milwaukee card, losing on points 4-3 to the active welterweight contender.Muhammad proved simply too much for Askren, despite putting up a great fight.But the result was meaningless, as Askren had already won by making it to the mat in the first place.Emotional Askren retires“My lungs hurt, but the things that failed me were my legs — they gave out”, Askren told Chael Sonnen after he laid his shoes down in front of his hometown crowd for the final time on the mat as a competitor. “My legs wouldn’t carry me any longer.”Visibly emotional and choked up, Askren continued: “For sure, my last time out on the mat.“I love you guys, I really do. I worked hard as s*** in the last year. It was tough.“There were times when I couldn’t feed myself, I couldn’t stand up or go to the bathroom and every single day I woke up and I thanked God for the chance to do it just one more time.View Tweet: https://t.co/9QBe8n6DmtAskren was incredibly grateful to have one last dance against MuhammadReal American FreestyleHe leaves combat sports a living legend and inspiration to allReal American Freestyle“I promised God I’m going to make the most of this day. I’m gonna treat people well, I’m gonna work my ass off, and I’m going to try and make a difference in this world.“I love you guys.”Askren signed with the UFC in 2018 and made his promotional debut at UFC 235 in March 2019, defeating Robbie Lawler by submission.‘Funky’ fought just twice more in Dana White‘s promotion — losing to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia — before boxing Jake Paul in 2021 in his last combat sports outing before his comeback at RAF 11.Covington defeats Tsarukyan at RAF 11Elsewhere at RAF 11, UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan suffered his first defeat in four years against the now-retired MMA star Colby Covington.Covington won 5-3 to become the first RAF crossover champion and set up a first defence of his belt against Muhammad at RAF 12 on August 22, following several back-and-forth callouts.Covington handed Tsarukyan his first RAF loss in the night’s blockbuster main eventReal American FreestyleFurthermore, Frankie Edgar defeated fellow UFC Hall of Famer Clay Guida 9-2 with some stylish takedowns.And reigning RAF strawweight champion Lucia Yepez continued her untouchable form, beating Felicity Taylor 10-0 to retain her belt.UFC ScheduleThere are still several blockbuster shows and exciting contests for fight fans to look forward to in 2026, and you can find the full list of all confirmed events and official bouts as part of talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.The UFC, on average, puts on 13 to 14 premium events in a calendar year, with up to 30 smaller ‘Fight Night’ cards allowing prospects and less experienced fighters to showcase their talents.On January 1, 2026, Dana White’s promotion signed a seven-year broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+ for exclusive rights in the US, meaning the UFC has put on shows like never before this year.With the historic first event in the new Paramount era, UFC 324, delivering huge success, and a one-of-a-kind fight card at the White House in June opening up the UFC to a new audience, the promotion remains a premium global sports brand, and fans are eager to keep track of results and upcoming fights.