'Tragedy': MMA star drowns after saving four teenage girls... Jumped in immediately when swept away by current, but "body found the next day"

*This content was translated by AI.

A tragic incident occurred in which an MMA fighter lost his life while saving four teenage girls who had fallen into the water.

The UK's 'The Sun' reported on the 16th (Korea time) that "Medet Zhenaliev (30), a Russian-born MMA fighter, drowned while rescuing lives at a lake in Kyrgyzstan."

According to the report, Zhenaliev visited Lake Issyk-Kul, located in the village of Baktuu-Dolunotu, a popular tourist destination in Kyrgyzstan, with friends on the 12th. At the time, one of the four teenage girls swimming in the lake began to sink after being swept away by a strong current. Witnessing this, Zhenaliev immediately jumped into the water with a friend.

All the girls were safely pulled out of the water, but Zhenaliev himself sank below the surface and went missing. Divers who launched a search on the following day, the 13th, recovered his body. Local authorities officially announced the cause of death as "drowning during rescue."

Zhenaliev was a professional welterweight fighter who primarily competed on the Russian stage, with a career record of two wins and two losses.

This tragic news comes shortly after the drowning of Brazilian veteran fighter Jeronimo Mondragon dos Santos (45), further deepening the sorrow of combat sports fans.

Brazil's 'Globo' reported that dos Santos went missing after being swept away by a strong current while swimming in the Negro River in the Brazilian Amazon with his girlfriend. Local authorities recovered his body, which was found trapped in a crevice of rocks on the riverbed. A local official from the region of Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira paid tribute to the deceased, saying, "We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends, and we hope they find the strength and comfort to overcome this great loss."

Dos Santos competed in various organizations worldwide, including Mister Cage, Rizin, ACA, Fight Nights Global, and BKFC, leaving a career record of 45 wins, one draw, and 26 losses.

In 2012, he even signed a contract with the world's largest organization, UFC. However, he withdrew from his heavyweight debut against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 153 and was subsequently released, never stepping into the Octagon.

Most recently, in April, he appeared at BKFC and demonstrated his prowess by knocking out former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alexey Oleinik in just 109 seconds. He was scheduled to face Andrey Alopyski in June but had recently withdrawn from the bout.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.