Former UFC featherweight fighter Suman Mokhtarian, who had a brief stint in Dana White‘s promotion, has passed away in a tragic incident. The 33-year-old fought twice under the Las Vegas-based promotion’s banner, but was never able to make his way to the top of the UFC. The Australian MMA star was still active in regional circuits but has now lost his life to alleged gang-related violence.

This happened just outside of Sydney, in the former UFC fighter’s native country, the land Down Under, Australia. Reports of the incident have come in, and the details are as horrifying as they are tragic.

All we know about Suman Mokhtarian’s death

Reports claim that the 35-year-old MMA fighter was out for a walk outside Sydney, in Australia, on Wednesday, when a vehicle pulled up right in front of him. Sources claim it was a red Audi, which had unidentified individuals who shot him down near the corner of Annaluke St and Riverbrae Ave in Riverstone at around 6 pm on Wednesday night.

According to certain sources, Suman Mokhtarian was pronounced dead when local authorities and emergency services arrived at the scene of the crime. A local resident who witnessed the whole incident called them, and they made their way in a few minutes.

A report from The Daily Telegraph quoted Riverstone Police Area commander Jason Joyce, who, in his statement, said, “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… It would’ve been a horrific thing to witness, and it’s certainly not something we tolerate in the community.”

Local MP Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland wrote on social media – “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.”

The former UFC fighter had been targeted many times in the past, but survived those attempts until recently. One of those incidents earlier this year even led to an event getting canceled.

A death scare for Mokhtarian prompted the cancellation of an MMA event

The recent shooting is the unfortunate culmination of a series of attacks on Suman Mokhtarian. The police personnel of the state of New South Wales were informed of an attack on the former UFC fighter back in April. This inadvertently led to one MMA event hosted by the Dark Matter Fighting Championship promotion being canceled. But a year before that, he got shot at for the first time.

In February 2024, Suman Mokhtarian was attacked by a delivery driver, who was later found to have been a shooter. This happened outside his Wentworthville gym, but he luckily survived. The shooter was later taken into custody by the police and charged with attempted m–der. He is now awaiting trial, but was able to get out of custody on bail.

Mokhtarian, who was a part of TUF 27, fought twice in the UFC but lost both of his fights, which led to his release. He never made it to the top of the MMA world, especially in Dana White‘s promotion, but the Aussie fighter had a respectable 8-2 record. He was also a very dedicated coach, and his passing is a massive loss to the MMA community in Australia. Our prayers are with his family and his dear ones as they deal with the tragedy.