Australian former UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney

Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down in a “brazen” shooting while on an early evening walk in Sydney, police said, months after surviving an attempt on his life.

The 33-year-old was shot dead in a “targeted” attack in Riverstone, a suburb in Sydney’s northwest, on Wednesday evening, New South Wales Police said.

A short time after the shooting two cars were found on fire in different locations, a hallmark of recent organised crime hits that have rattled the city.

“It’s very brazen and it’s a shame that this is happening in our community,” NSW Police superintendent Jason Joyce said.

“You’d want to think that in a residential area that people could wander the streets at that time of (early) night and be safe, but we do believe it’s a targeted attack,” he said.

Local media reported that Mokhtarian had survived an attempt on his life last February, when a gunman fired on him outside a gym in Sydney’s west.

He fought twice in the UFC, in 2018 and 2019, losing both times, before moving into coaching, according to ESPN.

He helped develop some of Australia’s top mixed martial arts prospects, the website said.

A local who only identified himself by his first name, Ben, said he was walking with his wife when he heard a gunshot.

“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,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“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.”

Neighbour Natalie, who also did not provide her last name, said she was out the front of her home with her children when the incident took place.

“I called the police straight away,” she told the national broadcaster ABC.

Natalie said she ran over to see if Mokhtarian was alive, but “he clearly wasn’t”.

“I could immediately tell he wasn’t alive, otherwise I would’ve tried to help him,” she said.

The killing came a day after police foiled a “kill team” bearing firearms, balaclavas, body-worn cameras and jerrycans on the way to a daycare centre.

Police are investigating if the two incidents are linked.