7/10/25: Ben Askren Releases First Statement Since Double Lung Transplant
Also: UFC announces Qatar debut
Welcome to a Thursday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue is a quick mid-week catch-up on all the latest stories around the sport of MMA. We have a ton to cover today! Four main stories plus so much more in the notes. Let’s begin.
Ben Askren Releases First Statement Since Double Lung Transplant: ‘I Made It Out The Other Side’
For the first time since a life-threatening case of pneumonia left him hospitalized, Ben Askren provided a public statement on Wednesday.
Askren, a 40-year-old decorated freestyle wrestler who later pursued a dominant career as a welterweight in MMA, underwent a double lung transplant late last month after weeks in the hospital for “severe pneumonia.”
Askren was originally sedated and “unable to respond to anything,” but later became “able to open his eyes and squeeze hands,” his wife Amy Askren wrote in Facebook updates over the past month and a half.
A little over a week removed from the potentially life-saving surgery, Askren addressed fans in a social media video. Seen sitting in a hospital bed, Askren detailed that he didn’t remember anything from late May to early July due to his illness. He mentioned currently weighing around 147 pounds, roughly 50 pounds less than what he typically walks around at.
“I only died about four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds,” he said. “That’s not ideal. But I got the double lung transplant, [and] I made it out the other side of it gaining quite a bit of strength.”
A fair amount of Askren’s statement was directed towards the large amount of support he has been given by the public since his illness was first announced.
“The thing that was most impactful to me was all the love I felt from everybody,” he said. “It’s almost like I got to have my own funeral … The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was just amazing. It felt so good … This has been tough. Not only on me, but on my whole family and my close community. So, I appreciate everything.”
Askren fought in MMA for a decade, putting together championship reigns in Bellator and ONE Championship before arriving on the UFC roster in 2019. His run in the promotion was short but memorable, appearing a total of three times before announcing his retirement by the end of the year.
While Askren has been in countless battles throughout his decades-long career, none have been more impressive than the one he’s currently fighting through.
UFC Announces First-Ever Qatar Card For November 22nd
After previously inking deals with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, UFC has found yet another partner out in the Middle East: Qatar.
UFC will head to the ABHA Arena in Doha on November 22nd for a “Fight Night” card, the promotion announced this week. The first-ever event for UFC in the country is in partnership with Visit Qatar, a local tourism board.
Rumblings about a potential trip to Qatar have existed for months, as it was previously rumored that the promotion would visit the country for an event in May. However, that alleged plan ended up not coming to fruition.
While it’s unclear whether UFC will receive a site fee payment in exchange for hosting the event in Qatar—more often what happens when a card is in partnership with a local tourism company—it’s certainly possible.
UFC has put a major focus on site fee-funded events in recent years, and the business strategy partially explains their growing presence in the Middle East.
TKO COO Mark Shapiro noted in late 2023 that UFC receives roughly $25 million per event in Abu Dhabi, and $20 million for their Saudi Arabia shows. A year later, UFC inked a new deal with Saudi Arabia, which Shapiro said would earn them “almost double the rights fee” they had previously been given for visiting the country.
UFC isn’t the first major combat sports organization to have involvement with Qatar.
The country’s investment authority (QIA) has a stake in Thailand-based ONE Championship, giving the promotion another $50 million in a fundraising round last fall. As part of the investment, ONE Championship has hosted a show inside the country for the past two years and given ad spaces to Visit Qatar during broadcasts.
Randy Couture Suffers Burns, Trauma Injuries After NHRA Drag Racing Crash
Three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture was hospitalized earlier this week with burns after being involved in a car accident at a Kansas City racetrack, per TMZ.
Couture, a 62-year-old ex-MMA fighter who rose to prominence in the early years of the UFC, was reportedly airlifted to a burn center Tuesday after suffering first and second-degree burns, trauma injuries, and smoke inhalation.
Couture is expected to make a recovery from the injuries.
Couture had been preparing to compete in a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event later this year, his first major venture into any form of motorsport.
It had been announced in April that Couture would earn his NHRA Pro Mod license to compete with Scag Racing. First introduced to drag racing a decade ago, Couture said the move would “Tickle that competitive bone that I’ve developed through wrestling and mixed martial arts.”
While Couture initially hoped to make his NHRA debut in June, he said last month that he was “just not comfortable yet,” thus delaying his first official appearance.
Couture transitioned to MMA in 1997 after a successful career in Greco-Roman Wrestling. Through 24 appearances in the UFC, he would put together three separate title reigns at heavyweight, more than any other fighter in the division’s history, and also hold the light heavyweight title twice.
Couture officially retired from MMA in 2011 after a loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 129.
Roybert Echeverria Snags Final Flyweight Semi-Final Spot With Submission Win on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
The flyweight semi-finals are set.
Venezuela’s Roybert Echeverria snagged the final spot in “The Ultimate Fighter’s” 125-pound semi-final round on Tuesday’s episode, erasing the lead of opponent Tumelo Manyamala with a second-round rear naked choke.
Echeverria struggled early in the fight, as South African prospect Manyamala found success in stand-up exchanges. Manyamala notably got Echeverria to the mat with a right hook in the opening round, all but guaranteeing that he’d earn an early scorecard lead.
But things swung in favor of Echeverria once he scored a takedown in the second round. The Goat Shed-trained talent was quick to slip onto the back of Manyamala for a rear naked choke, forcing a tap to stop the fight in the second round.
The loss was a second straight defeat for Daniel Cormier’s team. In consecutive episodes, the UFC Hall of Famer expressed frustration with certain tactics fighters employed. For Manyamala, he specifically took issue with the South African not staying away from the cage’s fence while trying to fend off a takedown attempt from Echeverria.
Echeverria previously fought on the 2022 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” but didn’t earn a UFC contract after suffering a third-round stoppage loss against Jafel Filho. The Anthony Pettis FC Flyweight Champion was given a second pathway to joining the UFC roster through this year’s “TUF” season.
Manyamala, the less-experienced fighter of the two, mainly fought in his home country since debuting in 2022, with Tuesday’s episode being his U.S. debut. All six of his past pro wins have come via finish.
Echeverria rounds out the semi-finals alongside Joseph Morales, Imanol Rodriguez, and Alibi Idiris.
The quarter-final round at welterweight will come to an end on next week’s episode when Diego Bianchini meets Reginaldo Sezinando.
Bianchini has arguably been the most outspoken fighter on the show thus far, living up to his “Brazilian Bad Boy” nickname. After spending past episodes picking fights inside the talent house, the former LFA prospect will try to take down Sezinando, a fellow Brazilian fighter who has gone on a streak of impressive title wins in the Canadian regionals since early 2024.
Notes On: UFC, PFL, ONE Championship, LFA, Cage Warriors & More
UFC
MMA Fighting is reporting that UFC hopes to host a “Fight Night” card at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11th. UFC drew 14,000 when they visited the venue for UFC 301 last year.
Former flyweight title challenger Lauren Murphy (16-6) told UFC.com that her appearance Saturday against Eduarda Moura (11-1) will be her retirement fight.
Here’s a fun pick-up for the heavyweight division: Marcus Buchecha (5-1), former ONE Championship fighter and prominent grappling star, will make his UFC debut on July 26th against Martin Buday (15-2). The 13-time BJJ World Championship Gold Medalist has fought in MMA since 2021, when he made his debut for ONE. Apart from a 2023 loss to Oumar Kane—ONE’s current heavyweight MMA champ—Buchecha has won all of his pro fights via first-round submission. 14th-ranked Buday, who has a notable MMA experience edge over Bucheca, will be trying for his third consecutive win.
Two more for UFC’s August 2nd event:
Neil Magny (29-13), the most experienced UFC welterweight of all time, will try to avoid the first-ever three-fight skid of his career when he faces Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (25-9-1), per MMA Fighting. Magny is coming off a rough 2024, getting finished by Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. He was previously scheduled to face Gunnar Nelson on UFC’s July 19th card before the Icelandic fighter withdrew in recent days. Zaleski dos Santos is coming back after getting stopped by Chidi Njokuani in March.
Felipe Bunes (14-7) is no longer expected to face Andre Lima (11-0), and is instead scheduled to meet rising prospect Rafael Estevam (13-0), AgFight reported recently. Nova Uniao-trained Estevam returned for the first time in over a year to beat Jesus Aguilar in February. He’ll now try to get past Bunes, who secured his first-ever UFC victory in January with a two-minute armbar outcome against Jose Johnson.
Carlos Prates (21-7) has the chance to bounce back from his first UFC loss when he meets Geoff Neal (16-6) at UFC 319 on August 16th, Laerte Viana and MMA Fighting recently reported. An explosive rise from Prates—finishing four opponents within his UFC rookie year—was stopped in April when Ian Machado Garry out-worked him in a five-round fight. He’ll now aim to get some momentum on his side again when he meets 12-fight UFC vet Neal, who has faced some of the division’s toughest in recent months: Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Rafael dos Anjos, all since 2023.
A pair of notable debuts set for UFC Paris on September 6th:
Kennedy Freeman (6-0), Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion and daughter of U.K. MMA pioneer Ian Freeman, will debut against Yuneisy Duben (6-1). Freeman has put together a trio of finishes since returning to MMA in 2023, most recently forcing opponent Mafalda Carmona to retire in-between rounds last year. She returns against Duben, who suffered a quick finish loss in her UFC debut earlier this year.
Interim KSW Featherweight Champion Robert Ruchala (11-1) will face France’s William Gomis (14-3), per Marcel Dorff. Ruchala found success in KSW against anyone other than two-division star Salahdine Parnasse, stopping three different opponents in title fights while with the promotion. Gomis saw his four-fight UFC win streak come to an end in March when he dropped a split decision to Hyder Amil.
One more debut to talk about: 19-year-old Alice Pereira (5-0), a fast-rising prospect out of Brazil, will make her first UFC walk when she faces Montserrat Rendon (6-1) at Noche UFC on September 13th. Pereira went five rounds against former ONE talent Samara Santos late last year for her fifth pro win on a Brazil regional show. She’ll officially be the youngest female fighter in UFC history when she debuts against Rendon, who is coming back for the first time since Darya Zheleznyakova snapped her undefeated record in March 2024.
PFL
PFL announced earlier this week that promotion staffer Jeff Brady unfortunately passed away recently, dying while saving two children from drowning in an Arizona river. Completely heroic act, but tragic nonetheless. Our deepest condolences go out to those who knew Brady.
PFL has announced the full nine-fight lineup for their August 1st “World Tournament” event in Atlantic City. Along with the previously announced title fights (Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley and Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Jesus Pinedo), the undercard notably includes an appearance from two-time PFL Europe champ Jakub Kaszuba (14-0), appearing for the first time since going back-to-back with his titles last year. Other notable cameos: Undefeated Jordan Newman (7-0), French vet Yves Landu (21-9), and former Fury FC prospect Isaiah Diggs (5-0). You can see the full lineup here.
PFL’s Jonathan Coachman did a Q&A with MMA Fighting this week. As part of the hour-long interview, he mentioned that winners of the 2025 PFL “World Tournament” will go on to face 8 champions crowned as part of the PFL “Champions Series” in the fall.
Misc.
Eminem mentioned Sean O’Malley in his new song.
Ex-UFC fighter Tim Kennedy previously stated that he earned a Bronze Star while serving in the U.S. Army, an award for “participation in acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy.” Well, someone called his bluff, which forced him to come clean. “Over the years, I made public statements and gave interviews in which I unintentionally misstated aspects of my military service,” he wrote Wednesday. “Most notably, I implied directly or indirectly that I had been awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. That is not true, and there is no excuse for it.” Kennedy promised he would “no longer speak about my service in a way that elevates me beyond what I actually did.”
ONE Championship
Small change to this Friday’s ONE card: Ibragim Dauev (10-1) has stepped in to replace the returning Ilya Freymanov (12-2) in a fight against Pedro Dantas (6-0). Dauev has earned a pair of ONE victories, including a split decision win over Magomed Akaev earlier this year. Freymanov was aiming to appear for the first time since his late 2023 loss to Thanh Le.
Following in the footsteps of his brother Kade, grappling ace Tye Ruotolo (0-0) will make his MMA debut soon. After appearing in ONE as a grappler since 2022, Ruotolo will put on gloves at the promotion’s September 5th card and face 19-year-old Adrian Lee (3-0), MMA Fighting confirmed. Adrian also has a fair amount of buzz, coming from the prominent Lee family and winning all three of his past pro wins via submission.
ONE’s Chatri Sityodtong put out a lengthy Facebook post this week discussing how he believes the promotion is suffering from an “increasingly sophisticated online and PR” smear campaign. The most important detail I found from the post: Chatri said their deal with Amazon Prime Video runs until mid-2027. He also remains optimistic about turning the promotion profitable, something he has been discussing since 2017. “The path to profitability is now very clear,” he wrote.
RIZIN
While it was briefly expected that Razhabali Shaydullaev (13-0) would defend his featherweight RIZIN belt at “Super RIZIN 4,” it was confirmed earlier this week that he won’t compete on the card. A story from GONG notes that Vugar Karamov, who made his case for a shot after beating Shuya Kimura in a less-than-exciting performance recently, was injured and thus couldn’t challenge. I see Shaydullaev not being on the card as a tough blow, as he has been one of the promotion’s most explosive names since his debut a little under a year ago. RIZIN is now angling to get him on a card in the fourth quarter of this year.
The lineup for “Super RIZIN 4” now includes the heavyweight GP semi-finals and flyweight GP opening round bouts. Most intriguing out of the opening round bouts is Jose Torres (13-4-1) getting matched against 2021 bantamweight GP winner Hiromasa Ougikubo (27-8-2).
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors has confirmed the bout order for this Saturday’s card in London.
LFA
LFA will find a pair of new champs on August 15th, as both the 205 and 185 pound divisions lost their titleholders to the UFC recently. Here are the title bouts expected for Sioux Falls next month:
LFA will crown a new light heavyweight champ when Lucas Fernando (11-3) and Phillip Latu (7-2) face off. Fernando, a former “Contender Series” fighter, is moving up to the 205-pound limit for this fight. The former LFA Middleweight Champion is coming off a pair of wins from Brazilian cards presented by the promotion last year. Latu, who has also fought on the “Contender Series,” won his LFA debut earlier this year by snapping Joe Taylor’s undefeated record.
Ukraine’s David Allakhverdiev (6-0) will make his stateside debut in a middleweight title bout against John Moore (6-0). Allakhverdiev has earned half a dozen wins around Europe since his 2021 debut, with his longest fight going just two rounds. Canada’s Moore, a regional champ in North Dakota’s Throne MMA promotion, is riding the momentum of a quick finish win from earlier this year.
Two title fights have also been announced for LFA 215, which is set for August 22nd in Ventura, California:
Richie Miranda (11-1) will defend his lightweight title for the first time when he meets Ilay Barzilay (7-0). Miranda won his long-awaited title fight against Richie Lewis in April, dethroning the wrestler with a fifth-round stoppage. He’ll try to snatch another undefeated record when he takes on Brazilay, who has previously earned four wins in the LFA cage.
In his first bout since appearing on “The Ultimate Fighter,” flyweight champ Eduardo Chapolin (13-2) is set to face Devon Lozej (8-2). While Chapolin lost quickly on “TUF,” he previously scored a pair of big wins in LFA title fights, beating Cody Davis and Igor Siqueira. Lozej has put together six wins since late 2023, including a pair of regional title fights in Minnesota.