Former UFC featherweight Suman Mokhtarian was killed on Wednesday night whereas out for a stroll in northwest Sydney. Mokhtarian, 33, was struck by a number of gunshots from occupants of a crimson Audi that pulled up alongside him at round 6 PM native time. Emergency providers pronounced him lifeless on the scene after arriving minutes later following calls from close by witnesses.
Suman Mokhtarian, 33, Ex-UFC Featherweight, Dies in Sydney Gun Assault
Mokhtarian first got here to prominence in 2018 on Season 27 of The Final Fighter. He earned a contract with the UFC however suffered back-to-back defeats, first a TKO loss to Sodiq Yusuff after which a unanimous determination setback towards Seung Woo Choi, which ended his run within the promotion in 2019. He left with an 8–2 skilled report and turned his focus to teaching and gymnasium possession alongside his brother Ashkan, a fellow UFC alum and co-owner of Australian Prime Workforce.
Though Mokhtarian by no means reached the higher echelons of the UFC, he constructed a popularity as a devoted coach and mentor at his Sydney gymnasium. His work at Australian Prime Workforce drew a robust native following and established him as a fixture within the regional MMA scene. Police and promoters thought of him a probable draw for the Darkish Matter Combating Championship scheduled in April 2025, however that occasion was canceled amid warnings from New South Wales Police of a reputable gang-related assassination plot concentrating on Mokhtarian.
This deadly capturing marks the culmination of a sequence of violent incidents towards Mokhtarian. In February 2024, a gunman disguised as a supply driver opened hearth on him exterior his Wentworthville gymnasium. He survived that assault, however the shooter was arrested and charged with tried homicide; he stays out on bail pending trial. Authorities warned on the time that Mokhtarian’s connections, each as a gymnasium proprietor and his brother’s documented authorized troubles, might have made him a goal for organized crime figures working in Sydney’s western suburbs.
New South Wales Police have launched a murder investigation. Crime Scene Investigators canvassed the world for shell casings and CCTV footage from native companies, and detectives are interesting for witnesses who might need seen the crimson Audi or its occupants. No suspects have been publicly recognized. Police famous the excessive danger to public security posed by gang violence and careworn that anybody with info ought to contact Crime Stoppers.
