UFC star Suman Mokhtarian admitted he was struggling to maintain stability in his life while participating in the popular MMA TV show The Ultimate Fighter.

Mokhtarian, 33, was shot dead at around 6pm on Wednesday night in Sydney’s north-west at Riverstone. 

Police believe it was a targeted attack. The featherweight fighter and coach had previously survived other attempts on his life.

NSW Police later called off the first mixed martial arts event – the Dark Matter Fighting Championship – after receiving information that Mokhtarian was the subject of an alleged murder plot.

On Wednesday he was not so lucky, with Mokhtarian allegedly killed while out walking.

The late UFC star Suman Mokhtarian had previously disclosed personal life challenges during his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, a well-known mixed martial arts show.

Mokhtarian, 33, was shot dead on Wednesday night in Sydney’s north-west at Riverstone  (pictured, fighting Seungwoo Choi of South Korea in 2019)

Mokhtarian appeared on the hit TV show The Ultimate Fighter in 2018 and spoke candidly about struggles he faced away from the Octagon.

The show, which has been highly popular among fight enthusiasts since 2004, features MMA hopefuls competing for a chance to join the UFC. Mokhtarian took part on a team led by renowned heavyweight Stipe Miocic.

‘I got into the sport through my brother [Ashkan],’ Mokhtarian said.

‘I had many friends who trained in mixed martial arts gyms in Sydney, and my brother was facing a few challenges. He wanted to prove me wrong by showing he could become a fighter.

‘I doubted him, and look where we are now… he was motivated to prove me wrong, and he did.

‘His motivation into the sport kind of motivated me to get into it.

‘I’d seen him fix himself up and rebuild himself, rebuild his character, and become a good father, a good man, a good older brother.

‘I helped him, and then when I was falling down on that wrong track, he slapped me into place and got me into it [MMA fighting].’ 

Police believe it was a targeted attack, with the featherweight division fighter turned coach surviving previous attempts on his life

A manhunt is underway to find the gunman. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 (pictured, police at the scene)

Reflecting on his youth, Mokhtarian said when he was 18 he wanted to ‘go out and party and get girls’ and wanted to fight, but ‘not to train’. 

A turning point came when his brother fought in his first promotion and won in the first round, leading the siblings to open an MMA gym together. 

Mokhtarian won his first professional fight in June 2012, launching an eight-bout undefeated streak that brought him to The Ultimate Fighter.

Seemingly on a path to UFC stardom, he worked with Miocic but suffered a defeat and a knee injury that ruled him out of the rest of the competition.

He fulfilled his dream by entering the UFC but was defeated by technical knockout in his first match in December 2018 and lost by decision in his second and final fight in December 2019.

Together with his brother Ashkan, Mokhtarian mentored some of Australia’s leading MMA prospects out of their gym in Sydney’s west.

In another video filmed before his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, he said, ‘I want to be a role model, I want to lead the way for other people.’

News of his death has prompted an outpouring of grief in the MMA community. 

‘Firstly, I want to say Suman believed in me more than I believed in myself,’ student Jesse Swain said.

‘I owe all I’ve done in MMA to him. Anyone that knew him personally knows how passionate and invigorating he was… and he expected nothing but the best.

‘He pushed me to heights I never thought I’d get to when starting out.’

Another student Ali Hassan said Mokhtarian ‘got him out of the gutter’, and he will always treasure their moments together.

A manhunt is underway to find the gunman, with witnesses stating he fled in a red Audi.

Roughly 15 minutes after Mokhtarian was found, emergency services were called to nearby Riverstone Road where a car had been set ablaze.

Fire crews attended the scene, but the vehicle was destroyed.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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