UFC fighter jumps into action to save his manager from drowning near a waterfall in Hawaii

A manager to some of the UFC’s biggest stars nearly drowned while swimming in Hawai’i before he was rescued by one of his clients in a dramatic scene that was caught on tape.

‘Ottman’s a great kid,’ manager Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ of UFC fighter Ottman Azaitar. ‘He has a big heart. He literally saved my life.’

Tape of the incident shows Abdelaziz struggling to stay afloat while swimming with two men near a waterfall in a jungled 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 slip below the surface of the water.

That’s when Azaitar sprung into action, grabbing a vine from a nearby tree and using that to reel Abdelaziz to safety.

Tape of the incident shows Abdelaziz struggling to stay afloat while swimming with two men near a waterfall in a jungled area of the 50th state

Azaitar grabbed a vine from a nearby tree and used that to reel Abdelaziz to safety

Ali Abdelaziz (right) credits Ottman Azaitar (left) with saving his life in Hawai’i

Abdelaziz is seen trying to catch his breath after nearly drowning in Hawai’i

Next up for Abdelaziz is UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, where another of his fighters, Kaya Harrison, is scheduled to be on the card.

The Cairo native is a former MMA fighter, but came to manager fighters after connecting with legendary Renzo Gracie at the Gracie family academy in New York.

Now Abdelaziz manages a number of the sport’s top names, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo.

A strong supporter of Donald Trump, Abdelaziz was previously imprisoned in Colorado for forging 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.

The Bureau unsuccessfully attempted to deport Abdelaziz at one point, according to the book.

Azaitar, on the other hand, appears to be at a crossroads in his career. Defeated in consecutive bouts, the German-Morrocan fighter has been out of action since July of 2023. He was scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 232 in November of last year, but that bout was cancelled for some reason that has not been disclosed.

Azaitar began his career by winning his first 13 fights, including a pair of bouts in 2019 and 2020 that earned him ‘Performance of the Night’ honors.