Suman Mokhtarian, a two-time UFC competitor and Final Fighter 27 solid member, has died in Sydney, Australia, following an alleged gangland capturing.
The Sydney Morning Herald initially reported {that a} man within the Riverstone neighborhood was handled for gunshot wounds by paramedics Wednesday night native time. The person died on the scene. In a later replace, following unfold of the information on social media, the Herald confirmed Mokhtarian was the sufferer of the capturing.
“It’s very brazen, and it’s a disgrace that that is taking place in our group,” Riverstone police superintendent Jason Joyce mentioned, per the Herald. “You’d need to assume that in a residential space that folks may wander the streets at the moment of night time and be protected, however we do consider it’s a focused assault.
“My coronary heart goes out to the household of this sufferer, and positively any of the folks that witnessed it, [it] would have been a horrific factor to witness, and it’s actually not one thing we tolerate locally.”
Police are additionally investigating a collection of automotive fires within the space that could be linked to the capturing incident, with one witness telling the Herald a male suspect may need shot out of a crimson Audi.
Mokhtarian, 33, was a well known determine within the Australian MMA scene. Along with his aggressive profession, Mokhtarian served as a coach for a number of fighters on the Australian Prime Staff fitness center and the promoter of the City Struggle Evening group, primarily based out of Sydney. Following a short stint on TUF 27, Mokhtarian fought twice as a featherweight within the UFC, shedding to Seung Woo Choi and Sodiq Yusuff, with the latter marking his remaining bout in 2019.
In April 2024, ESPN reported Mokhtarian was allegedly the goal of an assassination try. The scenario was so critical that New South Wales police stepped in to cancel an occasion Mokhtarian was scheduled to teach at.
Mokhtarian’s brother Ashkan, who additionally went 0-2 within the UFC, was beforehand arrested on drug provide prices in 2023.
Fighters and pals of Mokhtarian took to social media to mourn his passing.
