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A former mixed martial artist died after playing hero, saving four girls from a strong current, according to reports.
Medet Zheenaliev, 30, spotted four girls swimming in Lake Issyk-Kul in his native Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday and one of them was reportedly swept away by 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 octagonal cage is seen during the UFC Fight Night event at Boardwalk Hall Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30, 2024. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Divers found his body the next day.
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The lake is the ninth deepest in the world, reaching a depth of 2,192 feet.
Zheenaliev fought four professional fights, even sharing them with two victories and two defeats. His debut was a victory over Vladimir Kravchuk on September 23, 2017, in the Fightpro belt battle in Moscow. Zheenaliev earned the victory via an armbar submission at 2:08 of the fight.
A general view of the Octagon during UFC 242 at the Abu Dhabi Arena, 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 by first-round knockout.
He has not had the same success in his last two fights, crashing to the rear 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 nearly 17-month break and fought Makkasharip Zaynukov at GFC 16, but doctors stopped the fight after the first round and gave Zaynukov the victory.
