Thursday night, UFC bantamweight athlete Irwin Rivera was arrested on two counts of premeditated murder. Consequently, arrest records from online databases indicate that Rivera is being held by the police. Further, the UFC fighter is being detained at the Main Detention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Eric Kowal at MyMMANews.com first broke the horrific news. According to Kowal’s sources, the suspicion is that Rivera stabbed both of his sisters with a knife.
UPDATE: Rivera was charged with first degree premeditated murder pic.twitter.com/hobFqk58nO
— Eric Kowal – MyMMANews.com (@MyMMANews) January 8, 2021
Irwin Rivera – tragedy in progress
For the most part, Rivera has alternated wins and losses inside the UFC. As a result, the bantamweight has had a fair amount of struggle. For instance, when facing dangerous opponents like Giga Chikadze on short-notice, Rivera has come up short. However, most of his setbacks were decision losses. Rivera last fought in September, losing a split decision to Andre Ewell.
After MMAFighting.com reached out to the UFC in regards to the incident, the promotion had the following to say:
“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,”
Additionally, the statement also 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.”
It should be noted, in the state of Florida that first-degree premeditated murder charges can extend as far as the death penalty for those convicted.
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