Former UFC fighter shot dead had links to drug, gun supply

Police say a former UFC fighter shot dead while on an early evening walk in Sydney’s north-west had links to large-scale drug and gun supply as they investigate links between this shooting and shots fired at a home in Sydney’s west last week.

Suman Mokhtarian, 33, was shot in a “brazen” and “targeted” daylight attack at the intersection of two residential streets in Riverstone, north of The Ponds, about 6pm on Wednesday.

He was shot in the upper body and was unable to be revived by paramedics. It was at least the third time he had allegedly been targeted.

Two cars set alight in the suburb are believed to be linked to the killing. Home security footage showed a white van ablaze rolling out of a driveway, setting fire to grass around it and sending plumes of black smoke into the air. A red Audi was also located burning in a separate location.

Police are investigating links between this shooting and a shooting in Cecil Hills, in Sydney’s west, last week, where shots were fired at a home during the night. Occupants of the house were uninjured. The intended victim is believed to be involved in Sydney’s combat sports scene.

Mokhtarian, who last fought in the UFC in 2019, was the alleged target of a gangland hit at a Sydney mixed martial arts event in April, which was cancelled amid fears for his life.

‘If they gonna kill me, I need to make sure people have a good image.’

Suman Mokhtarian

He also survived an alleged attempted hit outside the Australian Top Team gym in Wentworthville in February last year when a man allegedly posing as a food delivery driver opened fire. Mokhtarian founded the gym.

Following the April alleged attempt, Mokhtarian messaged SCN World Star, an Instagram account covering Sydney crime news, to check that they had good photos of him.

“If they gonna kill me, I need to make sure people have a good image,” he wrote.

‘Brazen, horrific’ attack

Superintendent Jason Joyce of Riverstone Police Area Command said police believe the shooting was a targeted attack and that the victim was thought to have been hit while going on a walk.

“It’s very brazen, and it’s a shame that this is happening in our community. You’d want to think that in a residential area that people could wander the streets at that time of night and be safe, but we do believe it’s a targeted attack,” Joyce said.

“My heart goes out to the family of this victim, and certainly any of the people that witnessed it, [it] would have been a horrific thing to witness, and it’s certainly not something we tolerate in the community.”

Joyce said one of the burnt cars was a red Audi, and that a male suspect was possibly inside it before it caught on fire. Police believe one of the destroyed vehicles was in the Riverstone area hours before the shooting occurred.

“We have the description of potentially one male in the vehicle. That’s all we know at this stage from the witnesses, [and it] was seen to speed away from the location, and that vehicle was found burnt out shortly thereafter,” he said.

Riverstone resident Ben, who declined to share his last name, said the shooting was a surprise for a quiet suburban street.

“We saw the commotion … and a local said that someone’s been [shot]. It was around then, when we heard a bang as well, and a lot of smoke went up in the air … that would have been the car.”

“There was a large commotion, a lot of people were just shocked because they’ve never witnessed anything like this … the shooting happened with children literally riding bikes around the park.”

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, who represents Riverstone as the federal member for Greenway, said she was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the shooting, and said her thoughts were with Mokhtarian’s friends and family.

“Our community in Riverstone is full of young families, and this kind of senseless violence is distressing and unacceptable,” Rowland wrote on social media.

The Riverstone shooting is the third alleged gun crime in Sydney in four days. On Sunday, a man allegedly shot up to 50 rounds from an apartment in Croydon Park and on Wednesday, police intercepted an alleged gangland hit plot.

Premier Chris Minns said on Thursday he would not rule out a gun buyback to counter the availability of unlicensed firearms.

“I wouldn’t rule [it] out, I’d definitely be talking to NSW Police about next steps and our responsibilities to keep the public safe,” he said.

“I’m particularly concerned about 3D printers and the prevalence of access to that new technology to make your own firearms … that’s a threat we certainly haven’t had to face before. It’s just another example of the kind of challenges that NSW Police have to deal with every single day.”

A ‘passionate’ and ‘invigorating’ fighter

Fighter Jesse Swain, who trained under Mokhtarian, said he couldn’t sleep after hearing the news of his coach’s death.

“Suman believed in me more than I believed in myself, I owe all I’ve done in MMA to him,” he wrote on Instagram.

Mokhtarian was defeated in both of his UFC featherweight bouts, in 2018 and 2019, where he lost by technical knockout and unanimous decision, respectively.

He was a contestant on the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter program in 2018, a reality TV show in which fringe professionals train and compete against each other in a bid to advance their budding careers.

Mokhtarian transitioned to coaching in recent years, and was a licensed coach at the Australian Top Team gym where he trained several fighters.

with AAP

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