Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison for attempted murder on Monday, closing out a multi-year saga that shook the sport’s scene to its core and caused many of its biggest names to rally behind the former competitor.
Judge Arthur Bocanegra’s ruling allowed Velasquez to receive credit for the 1,283 days he had already spent in custody or on house arrest, meaning that the MMA star’s sentence will likely only last around one-and-a-half years.
The criminal charge stemmed from a 2022 shooting, an incident where Velasquez admittedly endangered the public while attempting vigilante justice against someone who had allegedly wronged his child.
Velasquez, 42, was arrested a little over three years ago after getting into a high-speed car chase with a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte Jr., a man who was alleged to have molested the UFC star’s son at a daycare facility. Goularte Jr. is still currently facing a charge of lewd acts with a minor, to which he has pled not guilty.
The car chase ended after Velasquez discharged a firearm into the car of Goularte Jr., not striking him but instead hitting his stepfather, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
Velasquez was initially denied bail, keeping him in jail for months. While in custody he received significant support from influential names in MMA who found sympathy with his situation. Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Scott Coker were among the many who wrote letters to the court in the months following Velasquez’s arrest. Velasquez was released on a $1 million bail by late 2022.
As a trial date neared last fall, Velasquez switched to a no-contest plea, cutting a deal with prosecutors that was likely to grant him a shortened sentence.
A no-contest plea allows a defendant to avoid being considered guilty but doesn’t shield them from accepting conviction and penalties from the case, per California law firm Eisner Gorin. In the case of Velasquez, local reports say the plea caused an allegation of premeditation to be dropped and allowed the heavyweight to avoid a life sentence.
In the days leading up to Velasquez’s sentencing, the MMA star mentioned regrets about his actions while appearing on The Kyle Kingsbury Podcast: ”The way that I handled this is not the way to do it. We cannot put the law in our own hands … I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people. You know, not just to the people involved but just innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to pay back that.”
Velasquez also reportedly issued an apology during his sentencing on Monday.
Judge Bocanegra was seen getting “choked up” while delivering his sentence on Monday, per local news outlet KRON4. He reportedly called the case “tragic” and stated that “Mr. Velasquez is not a danger to public safety.
Velasquez retired from MMA in 2019 following a loss to Francis Ngannou. However, he remained closely involved in the sport following his departure, continuing to train and appear at California-based gym AKA.
He also began pursuing a professional wrestling career around that time, making special appearances in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and WWE.
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