Image copyright Facebook Image caption Aaron Rajman made his professional MMA debut in 2014 and and had a 2-2 record

A mixed martial arts fighter has been killed by intruders in the US state of Florida, police say.

Aaron Rajman was fatally shot during Monday night's apparent home invasion in the coastal city of Boca Raton.

Palm Beach County sheriff's office says a fight broke out after a group of suspects entered the 25-year-old featherweight's home.

Mr Rajman died from gunshot wounds. The assailants, whose motive is currently unknown, fled in a vehicle.

Dave Zalewski, a Miami fight promoter, told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper: "I'm just literally at a loss for words. Everyone I talked to is sickened.

"He was the most humble guy around, he never talked bad about people."

Neighbour Luciana Silva told local news station WPEC-TV that shortly before his death the victim spoke to her children to wish them a happy Independence Day.

Image copyright Facebook Image caption Aaron Rajman was an observant Orthodox Jew

Mr Rajman, an Orthodox Jew, was known for entering the arena wearing tzitzit and a yarmulke.

Ranked 26th in his class in Florida, he made his professional MMA debut three years ago and had a 2-2 record, according to MixedMartialArts.com.

As an amateur, Mr Rajman won eight fights and lost one.

"He was very strong in his faith, and he was a very good person," Rabbi Zalman Bukiet told local news station, WPTV.

"This was a special young man who had a heart of gold.

"It's a tragedy and extremely painful for them and painful for everybody that knew him."

A post on the MMA South Florida Facebook page read: "The world lost another warrior today. RIP Aaron Rajman. You will be missed."