Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison for charges stemming from a 2022 shooting.
In August 2024, Velasquez entered a no-contest plea in a California court to charges including felony attempted murder, assault, and multiple weapons-related offenses. The plea deal not only aimed to reduce his sentence but also marked a step toward resolving the prolonged legal battle.
Velasquez found himself at the center of an attempted murder trial following a February 2022 incident. He was alleged to have opened fire on Harry Goularte, who was accused of molesting his four-year-old son at the time. The retired mixed martial artist accidentally struck Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, after a high-speed chase ensued. He sustained injuries that were not considered severe.
After a motions hearing for the former UFC heavyweight champion at the start of the year, his sentencing and probation hearing, which was already postponed in October 2024, was delayed further to March 24.
With that, Velasquez learned his fate Monday, with NBC’s Ian Cull reporting news that the former fighter has been hit with a five-year prison sentence.
A subsequent report by Mercury News noted that the sentence will be shortened by time already served.
The 42-year-old Californian was apprehended by local authorities without resistance at the scene for allegedly firing several rounds from a .40-caliber handgun. In the following months, he faced a slew of charges that kept him behind bars for eight long months, until he was granted bail in November 2022 on a $1 million bond.
“From what I can say as far as myself, the way that I handled things, that was not the way to do it,” Velasquez said prior to his sentencing during an appearance on The Kyle Kingsbury Podcast. “We cannot put the law in our own hands. … I already pled (no-contest) so I’m going to get a sentencing (on Monday).
“I know what I did was very dangerous towards other people — not just to people involved, but to just innocent people. I understand what I did, and I’m willing to do everything I have to pay back that,” Velasquez continued. “So whatever the court feels correct for what I have to do, I’m going to do it with my head up and still be me, and not play the blame game. It was me that did that and reacted in that way.”
Velasquez recently inked a deal with the newly launched MMA promotion, Global Fight League (GFL), taking on the role of team manager for Team Dubai alongside his longtime head coach, Javier Mendez.
