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- A UFC fighter has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder, as per a police report first reported by ESPN.
- Irwin Rivera, 31, was arrested in Florida Thursday after two women, both his sisters, were stabbed multiple times.
- One of Rivera’s sisters told police that the pair were asleep at the time of the incident and woke up when to find him attacking them with a knife.
- They were taken to a hospital, one of the sisters having suffered two punctured lungs
- The UFC has issued a statement saying that the allegations are troubling and Rivera will not be offered a bout at this time.
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A UFC fighter named Irwin Rivera has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder, as first reported by ESPN.
The sports website reported Thursday that Rivera was arrested by Boynton Beach police department in Palm Beach County, Florida after two women were found with multiple stab wounds.
Police spokesperson Stephanie Slater said that the Mexican athlete is accused of stabbing his two sisters.
A police report shared by MMA Fighting shows that Rivera’s sisters told the police that they were awakened from sleep to find him “repeatedly stabbing them with a knife.”
Both women were taken to a hospital, one of them having suffered two punctured lungs, per the police report.
The police report quoted Rivera as later saying: "I killed my sisters," adding that it "was his purpose," and that he was instructed to do so by a "higher power."
Rivera has been competing in pro MMA since 2014 and has fought in the Legacy FC, Combate Americas, and Titan FC fighting firms.
In 2020 he signed for the UFC and fought all three of his UFC bouts behind-closed-doors because of the pandemic, losing twice and winning once.
A UFC statement said that the company has been made aware of the incident, and described the allegations against Rivera as "extremely troubling." The company added that it won't be offering a bout to Rivera at present.
"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," the UFC said in its statement.
"Furthermore, UFC has informed Rivera's management that he will not be offered a bout at this time."
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