UFC fighter Irwin Rivera was arrested on Thursday in Boynton Beach, Florida. He is accused of allegedly stabbing his two sisters. Both sisters remain hospitalized but are in stable condition.
According to E! News reports initially surfaced that he faced charges of premeditated murder. However, the police department’s incident report said that Rivera had been charged with two counts of attempted murder. The incident report also said that a 22-year-old woman and a 33-year-old woman were both found alive with multiple stab wounds. The 22-year-old suffered stab wounds to her head, back and arm. The older sister suffered stab wounds on her face, back, arms and hands.
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ESPN reports that Rivera hadn’t been acting like himself before the violent incident. His sister Lezlye described the situation in a Facebook post and said that the UFC fighter had not been sleeping or talking the way he normally would. She also wrote that he had lost interest in his MMA training. Lezlye flew to Florida to visit her brother.
“Unfortunately, his mental stage was worse than we could [have] imagined, and before we could help him, he completely broke,” Lezlye wrote on Facebook. “His mentality has been completely corrupted into something unrecognizable.” She continued and said that the family wishes for Rivera to “get the professional mental help he so desperately needs.”
The police report says that a banging on their door awakened the neighbors. One of the sisters screamed, “He’s trying to kill me. Please help my sister.” The report says that Rivera, covered in blood, told the neighbors that everything was fine before shutting the door and fleeing the scene.
The police caught Rivera and said that he believed he had killed both women. The fighter informed the police that he had attacked his sisters “because it was his purpose.” He also said that he was “told to by a higher power.”
Rivera appeared in court for the first time since his arrest on Friday morning. He is now being held in a behavioral health facility after an emergency motion by the court. Rivera is being held without bond.
“UFC is aware of the recent incident involving Irwin Rivera and subsequently received information from his management that he has been exhibiting behavior consistent with mental-health issues,” the promotion said in a statement. “The allegations are extremely troubling and the organization is currently gathering additional information. The investigation is ongoing and any potential next steps, including disciplinary action or medical attention, will be determined upon the conclusion. Furthermore, UFC has informed Rivera’s management that he will not be offered about at this time.”
