Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight Suman Mokhtarian, who was also a contestant on Season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday in Riverstone, a suburb of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.
He was just 33 years old.
Mokhtarian was first targeted by assassins outside his Australian Top Team gym in early 2024 but survived the ordeal, then found himself in the crosshairs for a second time last April. That prompted authorities to intervene and shut down a local mixed martial arts (MMA) event to prevent a potential “gangland hit.”
“We believe he may have been out for a walk, but we’re yet to confirm that,” Riverstone police commander Jason Joyce told reporters during a press conference (via Daily Telegraph). “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. It would’ve been a horrific thing to witness and it’s certainly not something we tolerate in the community.”
Mokhtarian (8-2) was defeated by Ricky Steele in the TUF 27 quarterfinals but managed to score a spot on the UFC roster anyway. Unfortunately, the Aussie was unsuccessful in two trips to the Octagon, getting stopped by Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Adelaide before losing a decision to Seung Woo Choi at UFC Busan.
Damn. Whatsnthe backstory on the first assassination attempt and why?
I have had several people reach out to me about him
Absolute gangster with a heavy hand
His issue is that he wouldn’t respect the boundaries of his reach
This includes against his own people…
Allegedly he had a crazy hook up with drugs coming by way of boat and did very well financially
When keeping it real goes wrong
play gangster games, win gangster prizes. no sympathy.
When you say this includes his own people, could you give some speculative explanation ?
Another inhabitant of the penal colony.
I was told that he didn’t respect the “pecking” order and often times had issues with those that were supposed to be his friends
That will get you either dead, or very successful
I thought there were no guns in Australia?
According to ESPN, in April 2025, an MMA event was put on hold amid concerns that the fighter could be the subject of a gangland hit.
In February of 2024, Mokhtarian survived another attempt on his life when a shooter disguised as a food delivery driver opened fire on him near his gym.
Text messages which the 33-year-old allegedly sent during the lead-up to his death have now been released.
The fighter suggested that he was aware of the plot against his life via the Australian Top Team’s account, as relayed by the Mail.
“Mate, when people try and kill you, you tend to start reading between the lines and paying attention to more detail,” Mokhtarian is alleged to have said.
“Nekkk minute I get capped (killed).”
Suman Mokhtarian had two fights in the UFC (Credit:Getty)
The other person involved in the conversation replied by telling him to “keep away from haters… fake your location, and tint your car windows”.
Later in the conversation, Mokhtarian added: “Just wanted to make sure if you post something you post better photos cuz f*** if they gonna kill me I need to make sure people have a good image.”
The other person answered: “Just be safe and cautious to the places you go to… and let no one know your daily moves.”
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. Witnesses suggested that the shooter had fled in a red Audi.
Around 15 minutes after Mokhtarian was killed, emergency services were called after a car was found on fire.
It is unclear if the two incidents were related.
I think you gotta just move on from things if you are that close to being targeted. Time to close up shop and move on to better places.
It’s hubris… The same tactics that made him successful led to his death
Or the Peter principle in action
