According to MMA Junkie UFC fighter Irwin Rivera has been released from custody. Rivera had been in jail since January 6 after he was accused of stabbing his two sisters and charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Shortly after his arrest, Rivera’s sisters—who both survived the ordeal—spoke on behalf of their brother, claiming the fighter had suffered a mental breakdown.
Rivera’s release comes after a judge approved Rivera’s not guilty plea by reason of insanity. That decision was made after the judge considered testimony in support of Rivera from his sisters and doctors. The doctors stated that Rivera has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and he experienced an “acute episode of psychosis” on the day of the attack. Those doctors also stated that his condition has since been stabilized through medication and therapy.
Rivera’s release comes with a series of conditions, which state that he must continue with medication and therapy and that his travel be supervised. Rivera’s MMA teammates Gilbert Burns and Sean Soriano have volunteered to supervise Rivera during his release.
According to MMA Fighting one of the doctor’s involved in Rivera’s case stated that the fighter could possibly return to competition, should he maintain the conditions stipulated by his release.
After appearing in Combate Americas and Titan FC, Rivera signed with the UFC in early 2020. His Octagon debut was in May, against Giga Chikadze, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He lost that bout by unanimous decision.
In his next bout he defeated Ali AlQaisi by split decision. He then lost a split decision to Andre Ewell. Rivera had been scheduled to face Ray Rodriguez in March this year prior to being arrested.
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