UFC fighter Irwin Rivera was arrested on Thursday on two counts of attempted murder, according to an incident report obtained by ESPN.
He was booked just after noon ET after being detained by the Boynton Beach Police Department and is being held without bail, according to online prison records.
Boynton Beach Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Slater told ESPN that Rivera is accused of stabbing his two sisters.
Boynton Beach police officers found two women – one 22-year-old and the other 33-year-old – with multiple stab wounds after being called to a residence, according to the incident report. The young woman had injuries to her back, head and arm. The eldest had injuries to his back, face, arms and hands. They were both alive and were rushed to a hospital.
One of the sisters told police she was staying with one of their brothers, Rivera, in one of her spare rooms and found that Rivera had repeatedly stabbed them with a knife, according to the report.
Rivera fled the scene. Police contacted him at 7 a.m. ET on Thursday morning and, according to the report, Rivera said, “I killed my sisters.” According to the report, Rivera told police he entered his sisters’ bedroom while they were sleeping and stabbed them with a “brass knife.” Rivera told police he believed he had killed his sisters and did so because that was his goal, which was told to him by a “superior power.”
In a statement, the UFC said it was investigating the “extremely disturbing” situation and would not give Rivera a fight at this time.
“The UFC is aware of the recent incident involving Irwin Rivera and subsequently received information from his management that he had behaved in a manner compatible with mental health issues,” the UFC statement said. “The allegations are extremely worrying and the organization is currently collecting additional information. The investigation is ongoing and any potential next steps, including disciplinary action or medical care, will be determined at the end. In addition, the UFC informed Rivera’s management that a fight will be fought at this time. “
Rivera, 31, most recently fought in the UFC Fight Night: Covington Vs. Woodley on September 19, losing a split decision to Andre Ewell. Rivera made his UFC debut in May and his first UFC victory in August, defeating Ali AlQaisi. Rivera is the former champion in the Titan FC bantam category.