Velasquez was sentenced on attempted murder charges after shooting at a man accused of molesting his son.
Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, has been handed a sentence of five years behind bars for a February 2022 shooting.
He originally pleaded no contest to the charges last August, after being
arrested for chasing and shooting at a vehicle with a man inside accused of molesting his son.
According to the District Attorney’s office, the 42-year-old was
sentenced March 24 in Santa Clara County court in San Jose, California, on felony attempted murder, assault, and weapons charges.
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Velasquez will receive 1,283 days as credit for time served in jail under house arrest, and will serve the remainder of his five year sentence in prison.
His attorney, Renee Hessling, originally requested Velasquez be released on probation and in a
statement voiced they were disappointed with the result.
“Today’s results are bittersweet—we had hoped Mr. Velasquez would remain out of jail. However, the facts remain clear: Cain Velasquez is a good man, a devoted father, and a respected member of the community,” she said.
“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character. He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable.”
The mixed martial artist (MMA)
won the heavyweight title at UFC 121 in 2010 after defeating Brock Lesnar, and regained the title two years later when he defeated Junior Dos Santos at UFC 155.
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Velasquez retired from MMA in 2019 and briefly turned to professional wrestling signing with the WWE for one year.
2022 Shooting
Prosecutors had alleged that Velasquez chased a pickup truck carrying three people on Feb. 28, including 46-year-old Harry Goularte, for about 11 miles through the San Jose area.They say Velasquez rammed his own vehicle into the pickup truck while
shooting at the vehicle several times with his registered .40 caliber handgun, striking Goularte’s stepfather, who was driving at the time, in the arm and torso.
“One man’s decision to take the law into his own hands left an innocent man wounded and endangered schoolchildren, teachers, and many others in our community,”
said District Attorney Jeff Rosen in a statement on the sentencing.
“If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”
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Goularte—who is facing felony child molestation
charges—is accused of sexually assaulting the former MMA fighter’s then-4-year-old-son at a day care facility owned by the Goularte family.
Goularte was arrested one week prior to the incident on one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. He was then released on bail with GPS monitoring despite objections at the time from the district attorney.
Goularte has pleaded not guilty and his trial by jury is scheduled for June.
