Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated Rivera was facing first-degree murder charges. It was based on erroneous information in the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office online arrest records.
UFC bantamweight Irwin Rivera is facing charges on two counts of attempted murder after he was arrested and jailed Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla.
According to an ESPN report, Rivera was taken jailed just after noon ET on Thursday after being apprehended by the Boynton Beach Police Department. MMA reporter Eric Kowal initially broke the news.
According to an incident report obtained by ESPN, Rivera’s two sisters, age 22 and 33, were discovered with multiple stab wounds. The younger sister had wounds on her back, head, and arm, while the older sister had wounds on her back, face, arms, and hands. They were rushed to a local hospital and are alive.
When police made contact with Rivera, per the report, Rivera told the police he “killed my sisters” and that he did so for a “higher power.”
In a statement provided to MMA Fighting, the UFC said it was aware of the situation after Rivera’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, made promotion officials aware of potential “mental health issues.”
“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 statement read. “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, who made his UFC debut last year and went 1-2 with the promotion, most recently dropped a split decision to Andre Ewell last September at UFC Fight Night 178.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-fighter-irwin-rivera-attempted-murder-charges-florida