Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (23-8-1 MMA) saved a teenager from drowning in Southern California.

Werdum was spening the day relaxing with his family at the beach near their home in Torrance, California. About an hour after they hit the sand, the local fire department arrived on scene in order to rescue two teenagers who were trapped at sea.

When Fabricio Werdum noticed that there was only one lifeguard attempting to rescue the kids, he immediatley jumped into action.

“When we saw the fireman’s car, the car stopped in front of us. I said I was going to help, and Karine (his wife) wasn’t sure, because it was dangerous,” Werdum told Brazilian web site AgFight.com in Portuguese (via MMAJunkie). “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 went on to tell reporters that the situation was more intense than any fight.

“Wow, my heart was beating a million,” he said. “It’s an extreme situation. The heart goes to a million. It’s worse than a fight. It’s not even close.”

Fabricio Werdum is currently serving a two-year suspension which he received from USADA in May of 2018, this after being flagged for banned substances.

The former UFC heavyweight champion recently requested his release from the promotion.

Werdum was last seen inside the octagon in March of 2018, where he suffered a fourth-round knockout loss to Alexander Volkov.