Former UFC Fighter Gunned Down While on Evening Walk in Australia
- A former UFC fighter has tragically died at the age of 33 after being shot in broad daylight on a suburban street in Sydney
- He was the founder of the Australian Top Team gym and a respected figure in Australia’s MMA community
- Reports indicate the martial artist had previously survived an attempted shooting outside his gym in February last year
UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian has tragically died at the age of 33 after being shot dead in a suspected gang-related attack.
Reports indicate that the Australian mixed martial artist was gunned down while out for a walk on a suburban street in Sydney’s west.
Source: Twitter
According to Independent, Suman Mokhtarian was fatally shot near the corner of Annaluke Street and Riverbrae Avenue in Riverstone around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to save him because he had sustained gunshot wounds to the upper torso.
Media reports say Mokhtarian may have been the intended target of an earlier shooting at the Australian Top Team gym in Wentworthville in February 2024.
Following his survival of that earlier attack, an MMA event Mokhtarian was scheduled to participate in was called off in April amid fears of another attempt on his life.
After Wednesday’s fatal shooting, Riverstone Police Area Commander Jason Joyce stated via ESPN:
“We believe he may have been out for a walk, but we’re yet to confirm that.”
"You’d want to think that in a residential area like that, people could wander the streets at that time of night and be safe, but we do believe it’s a targeted attack."
He added: "It would’ve been a horrific thing to witness and it’s certainly not something we tolerate in the community."
Meanwhile, local MP and Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland expressed her condolences on social media, writing:
“My thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones, and I give my sincere thanks to the first responders who attended the scene.
Our community in Riverstone is full of young families, and this kind of senseless violence is distressing and unacceptable.”
Source: Twitter
Mokhtarian last appeared in the UFC in 2018, suffering defeat to Sodiq Yusuff in Adelaide before losing his second fight to Seung Woo Choi at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie in Busan, South Korea.
Across his professional career, Mokhtarian compiled a record of eight wins and two losses from 10 bouts.
Mokhtarian, founder of the Australian Top Team UFC gym, had previously survived an attempt on his life after being shot at outside the gym last year.
Following the incident, he cancelled a planned MMA event two months later amid fears of another possible attack.
Canadian-American sports journalist Ariel Helwani explained Mokhtarian's death on X in detail below:
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