MMA fighter Medet Zheenaliev has tragically died after spending his final moments rescuing a group of teens from a lake.
According to a press release (via The Sun), Zheenaliev died from drowning on Tuesday (May 12) in his home country of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. The 30-year-old was spending time with friends at Lake Issyk-Kul, which is considered the 8th deepest lake in the world, when Zheenaliev and a friend noticed four girls swimming in the lake.
After noticing one of them being pulled under by the current, Zheenaliev, along with a friend jumped in the lake to rescue the girls, although the MMA fighter did not surface. His body was discovered by divers the following day.
Zheenaliev, who stood 5'10", last competed in 2019 and registered four MMA fights throughout his career, having a record of 2-2. The athlete had two back-to-back wins in September 2017 during the Battle For The Belt against Vladimir Kravchuk, followed by his first knockout win against Shamil Temirkhanov in March 2018.
His final fight was held in August 2019, when he received a doctor’s stoppage in the first round while being up against Makkasharip Zaynukov at GFC 16.
A scheduled fifth fight between Zheenaliev and Tajikistan MMA fighter Samray Shaykhamadov was cancelled after being scheduled for September 1.
The news comes after former MMA fighter Geronimo Dos Santos died in December after disappearing on during river swim.
According to Brazilian outlet Globo, Geronimo Dos Santos went for a swim in the Negro river in the Amazon, Brazil, while visiting with his girlfriend.
The fighter sadly never returned after being swept away by the current, with local reports reporting that his body was found trapped under rocks on the bottom of the river.
