Australian MMA Coach of the Year Renamed: The Suman Mokhtarian Award

The Suman Mokhtarian Coach of the Year Award

Starting this year (2025 Awards), the Australian MMA Coach of the Year award will be renamed to the Suman Mokhtarian Coach of the Year Award.

Suman Mokhtarian passed away in October. There is a lot that can be said about that, and a lot of opinions people will bring to the table. This article isn’t here to fuel arguments or pick at the worst parts of the internet. It’s here to explain one simple thing.

In Australian MMA, Suman’s impact was massive. That is why this award will carry his name.

A bit of background on Suman’s fight career

Before most people knew him as a coach, Suman was a high-level fighter who reached the sport’s biggest stage.

He competed on The Ultimate Fighter, which is one of the toughest proving grounds MMA has. After that, he went on to fight in the UFC, something only a small handful of Australian fighters ever achieve. He didn’t get the results he would have wanted in the UFC, but just making that walk, at that level, says a lot about what he was as an athlete and what he learned in the process.

That experience matters, because it shaped what came next.

From fighter to coach, and a huge part of the scene

After his fighting run, Suman became best known for his coaching and for what he built through Australian Top Team.

Suman helped bring countless Western Sydney kids into MMA. He gave people structure, discipline, a team, and a direction. He definitely saved lives, futures, and freedoms by giving people something to commit to. You can call that dramatic if you want, but anyone who has seen what a good gym does for a community knows exactly what I mean.

He had a meaningful role in the development and careers of a lot of fighters, including names like Randall Rayment, Josh Togo, and Matty Iann. He also had a hand in the development of emerging talent like Matty Iann and Jesse Swain, supported the ongoing career of Darwin Sagurit, and helped guide pathways that eventually led to the UFC for fighters around him, including Ashkan Mokhtarian and Alex Georgees.

Being honest without turning it into a pile-on

There’s no point pretending Suman and Australian Top Team weren’t polarising at times. They absolutely were. People felt strongly, both ways.

But here’s the part that matters. This award name is about his impact on MMA coaching and on the people he brought into the sport. More than one thing can be true at once. The story can be complicated and the contribution can still be enormous.

Why this award name fits

In the early days of Australian MMA Productions, Suman was instrumental in supporting what we were building. He helped guide, inform, and back our work when we were still growing. He vouched for us early, and that kind of support sticks.

So when it came time to rename an award that represents coaching impact, influence, and contribution to the scene, I genuinely can’t think of anyone more fitting.

That is why we will now present the Suman Mokhtarian Coach of the Year Award.