Former MMA fighter, 30, dead after rescuing four girls from lake current
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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 home country of 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 Boardwalk Hall Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on March 30, 2024. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Divers found his body the next day.
The lake is the ninth-deepest in the world, reaching a depth of 2,192 feet.
Zheenaliev had four professional fights, splitting them even with two wins and two losses. His debut was a victory over Vladimir Kravchuk on Sept. 23, 2017, in Fightpro’s Battle for the Belt in Moscow. Zheenaliev earned the victory with an armbar submission 2:08 into the fight.
A general view of the Octagon during UFC 242 at The Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sept. 7, 2019. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC)
At the Battle on Volga 3 six months later, he defeated Shamil Temirkhanov in a first-round knockout.
He did not have the same success in his final two fights, tapping out to a rear-naked choke in the second round against Akhmadkhan Bokov at the Road to M-1 on April 7, 2018.
A general view of the UFC Octagon inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, prior to the UFC 328 event on May 9, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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He then took a nearly 17-month hiatus and fought Makkasharip Zaynukov at GFC 16, but doctors stopped the fight after round one and gave Zaynukov the victory.
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