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A former mixed martial artist died after playing hero and saving four girls from a strong current, according to reports.
Medet Zheenaliev, 30, saw four girls swimming in Lake Issyk-Kul in his native Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, and one of them was reportedly pulled under the current.
Zheenaliev and a friend went into the water to save the girls, but the fighter never resurfaced, according to The Sun.
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The Octagon cage is seen during the UFC Fight Night event at the Boardwalk Hall Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30, 2024. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Divers found his body the next day.
FATHER DIES TRYING TO SAVE 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AFTER HUGE WAVES SWEEPS HER OUT TO SEA AT CALIFORNIA BEACH
The lake is the ninth-deepest in the world, reaching a depth of 2,192 feet.
Zheenaliev had four professional fights and even split them with two wins and two losses. His debut was a victory over Vladimir Kravchuk on September 23, 2017 at Fightpro’s Battle for the Belt in Moscow. Zheenaliev picked up the win with an armbar submission 2:08 into the match.
A general view of the Octagon during UFC 242 at The Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on September 7, 2019. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC)
At the Battle of Volga 3 six months later, he defeated Shamil Temirkhanov in a first-round knockout.
He did not have the same success in his last two fights as he suffered a naked choke from behind in the second round against Akhmadkhan Bokov at Road to M-1 on April 7, 2018.
A general view of the UFC Octagon inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, ahead of the UFC 328 event on May 9, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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He then took a break of almost 17 months and fought Makkasharip Zaynukov at GFC 16, but the doctors stopped the fight after the first round and gave Zaynukov the victory.
