MMA fighter Medet Zheenaliev drowned after rescuing four teenage girls in his native Kyrgyzstan.
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On May 12, the 30-year-old fighter was with friends at Lake Issyk-Kul when he and a friend saw one of the girls in trouble and jumped in to help, reports The Sun.
Local reports cited by The Sun state that one girl was pulled underwater by a strong current. Zheenaliev and his friend helped all four girls return to shore.
While Zheenaliev helped the girls to safety, he never emerged from the water. Divers recovered his body the following day.
MMA Fans Pay Tribute to Medet Zheenaliev
Zheenaliev, who stood 5-foot-10, had a 2-2 professional record over four MMA fights from 2017-19. Competing in Russia, his last fight was in 2019. He started his career in September 2017 at the Battle For The Belt, defeating Vladimir Kravchuk with an arm-bar submission at 2:08 of the first round.
Six months later, in March 2018, Zheenaliev earned his first career knockout, stopping Shamil Temirkhanov at 1:25 of the first round at Battle on Volga 3.
However, his career ended with two consecutive losses.
One month after his first TKO victory, he lost by submission to Akhmadkhan Bokov at Road To M-1 at the 3:22 mark of the second round.
His final fight was 16 months later in August 2019, where he lost to Makkasharip Zaynukov at GFC 16 due to a doctor’s stoppage after the first round.
Meanwhile, an Instagram tribute to the brave fighter is filled with condolences in the comments section.
“That’s a man, God bless his family,” one top comment read. “Died a hero,” another onlooker wrote.
“A true man, hero, and example,” a third Instagram user wrote.