Fabricio Werdum heroically saved a teenager from drowning.
Fabricio Werdum, the former UFC heavyweight champion, recently rescued a drowning teenager whilst on holiday with his family in California.
‘Vai Cavalo’ noticed two teenagers screaming for help in the water and, rather than leaving the lifeguard to dive in the water on his own, Werdum immediately jumped in after him and saved one of the teens.
Werdum described what happened on Sunday to AgFight.
“When we saw the fireman’s car, the car stopped in front of us. I said I was going to help, and Karine (Groff, my wife) wasn’t sure, because it was dangerous,” Werdum told AgFight. “But when I looked, there were two tiny heads at sea yelling ‘help.’ They were very far, about 70 meters away. When the lifeguard grabbed the board by himself, I took off my coat and ran. I took the orange floater, threw it across my chest, and I arrived with him, a little further ahead even. I told him to get the girl, who was screaming a lot, and I got the boy, who was already limp. I was able to get him, and we swam toward the beach. … Then, at shore, an old man helped me. The waves were big. The girl sank about three times.”
Werdum’s wife recorded her husband and the lifeguard helping the teens to the shore.
Earlier this month, Werdum requested his release from the UFC after being handed a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The Brazilian tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Trenbolone. Werdum last fought at UFC Fight Night 127, where he was knocked out in the fourth round by Alexander Volkov.