Irwin Rivera, an MMA fighter who competes in UFC, was arrested Thursday in Florida on two counts of attempted murder, according to ESPN. He was arrested a little after noon ET by the Boynton Beach Police Department and is being held without bail. A spokesperson from the police department told ESPN that Rivera is being accused of stabbing his two sisters.
Police found two women — one age 22 and the other age 33 — with multiple stab wounds after being called to a residence. The younger woman had stab wounds in her back, head and arm. The older woman had wounds on her face, hands, arms and back and had two collapsed lungs. Both were rushed to the hospital.
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According to the report, Rivera fled the scene. Police contacted him about 7 a.m. ET on Thursday and Rivera said, “I killed my sisters.” He then told police he entered his sisters’ bedroom while they were sleeping and stabbed them with a “brass knuckle knife.” Rivera told police he believed he had killed his sisters, revealing he did it because it was his purpose, told to him by a “higher power.”
“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,” UFC 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 a bout at this time.”
Rivera, 31, has a 10-6 MMA record. His last fight was in September when the tools on Andre Ewell at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley in Las Vegas. Rivera, who competes in the bantamweight division, lost to Ewell via split decision. His first UFC fight was in May of last year, as he lost to Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. His first win in UFC came in August when he beat Ali AlQaisi via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik. Rivera also competed in Titan FC and won the promotion’s bantamweight Championship in June 2019.
