UFC fighter jumps into action to save his manager from drowning near a waterfall in Hawaii
A manager for some of the UFC’s biggest stars nearly drowned while swimming in Hawaii before being rescued by one of his clients in a dramatic scene caught on tape.
“Ottman is a great kid,” manager Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ about UFC fighter Ottman Azaitar. ‘He has a big heart. He literally saved my life.”
Videotape of the incident shows Abdelaziz struggling to stay afloat while swimming with two men at a waterfall in a jungle area of the 50th state. As he explained, Abdelaziz found himself in an area that was deeper than expected.
Soon he felt himself beginning to slide beneath the surface of the water.
At that moment, Azaitar sprang into action, grabbing a vine from a nearby tree and using it to carry Abdelaziz to safety.
The tape of the incident shows Abdelaziz struggling to stay afloat while swimming with two men at a waterfall in a jungle area of the 50th state.
Azaitar grabbed a vine from a nearby tree and used it to carry Abdelaziz to safety
Ali Abdelaziz (right) credits Ottman Azaitar (left) with saving his life in Hawaii
Abdelaziz tries to catch his breath after almost drowning in Hawaii
Next up for Abdelaziz is UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, where another of his fighters, Kaya Harrison, is on the card.
The Cairo native is a former MMA fighter, but became a manager of fighters after connecting with the legendary Renzo Gracie at the Gracie Family Academy in New York.
Now, Abdelaziz manages some of the sport’s top names, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo.
Abdelaziz, a strong supporter of Donald Trump, was previously imprisoned in Colorado for falsifying documents but was later recruited by the NYPD to infiltrate a group called Muslims of America. According to the book “Enemies Within: Inside the NYPD’s Secret Spying Unit and Bin Laden’s Final Plot Against America,” Abdelaziz also worked for the FBI until they began to suspect him of being a double agent.
According to the book, the Bureau at one point tried unsuccessfully to deport Abdelaziz.
Azaitar, on the other hand, seems to be at a crossroads in his career. The German-Moroccan fighter was defeated in back-to-back fights and has been out of action since July 2023. He was scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 232 last November, but that fight was canceled for some reason that was not disclosed.
Azaitar started his career by winning his first 13 fights, including a pair of fights in 2019 and 2020 that earned him Performance of the Night honors.