Fighters don’t just find danger inside the Octagon.
Living life on the edge as a professional cage fighter doesn’t just carry occupational hazards, especially if you’re an alleged target of an assassination plot.
This was the case with 8-2 ex-UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian, who was scheduled to coach as part of the Dark Matter Fighting Championship (DMFC) in Sydney, Australia, on April 19. Mokhtarian suffered two losses in the UFC.
New South Wales Police stopped the scheduled event for fears that Mokhtarian was the target of an alleged assassination plot – which could have been carried out at the event. Mokhtarian had already survived one assassination attempt in 2024 when a disguised gunman opened fire on him in front of the Australian Top Team gym.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mokhtarian owns the gym with his brother, Ashkan Mokhtarian. Ashkan was arrested in 2020 and pleaded guilty to drug dealing. He also had a fruitless run in the UFC, going 0-2 in 2017.
Mokhtarian has stated he won’t attend DMFC if it means the event won’t proceed. DMFC promoter Andrew Dalmas told Sydney Radio station 2GB, “It’s a really difficult situation for us at the moment, but we’ll get through it.”
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