Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison over a series of charges including attempted murder for an incident three years ago.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Arthur Bocanegra on Monday with Velasquez accompanied by his family in the Santa Clara, California courtroom.
Velasquez will receive credit for his previous time served which will alleviate the length of his sentence.
The charges stem from an early 2022 incident where Velasquez allegedly engaged in a high-speed car chase with a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte Jr. – a man alleged to have sexually assaulted Velasquez’s son – and two family members of his. Goularte Jr. has pled not guilty to a felony count of lewd acts with a minor, which he’s set to head to a criminal trial over in July.
Velasquez allegedly discharged a firearm at the vehicle he had chased down, not striking Goularte Jr. but instead hitting his stepfather, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
The MMA world quickly rallied around Velasquez following his arrest, with prominent names like UFC’s Dana White, training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov, and former Bellator promoter Scott Coker writing letters to the court as Velasquez attempted to be granted bail.
While the former UFC champ was denied bail two times, he was released on a $1 million bail by late 2022 after entering into a plea of not guilty.
As a September 2024 trial date approached last year, Velasquez switched from a plea of not guilty to no contest. The change, which meant that Velasquez would be convicted of the crime but not be considered guilty, was a major development. In exchange for the plea, an allegation of premeditation was dropped by the prosecutors.
Best known for his work in MMA, Velasquez was a fan-favorite fighter who battled heavyweight stars in the early 2010s including Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, and Fabricio Werdum.
He also has a history in the world of professional wrestling, previously working matches for AAA in Mexico and having a pair of 2019 appearances in the WWE ring.
