Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison, , with 1,283 days credit for time served, for a shooting in 2022 when he chased after the man accused of molesting his four-year-old son.
The DA’s office requested 30 years to life, Velasquez was sentenced to five years, already serving 3 of them.
The judge, while delivering the sentence, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, emphasizing the hardship of separating a father from his child.
Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County, California, on Monday after he pleaded no contest to attempted murder, felony assault and other related gun charges last August for what the District Attorney’s Office called a “vigilante shooting spree”.
According to the District Attorney’s office, on February 28, 2022, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion fired a gun multiple times at a truck carrying three people, including 46-year-old Harry Goularte, who is facing felony child molestation charges.
Velásquez rammed his car into Goularte’s vehicle before pulling out his gun and firing at Goularte, however, the ex-UFC fighter missed and hit Goularte’s stepfather instead.
His defence lawyer, Renee Hessling, called the result “bittersweet” as they had hoped to keep Velasquez out of prison.
“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character, he has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable. The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines.” Hessling said.
On his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, Velasquez said his handling of the situation was “not the way to do it”.
“We cannot put the law in our own hands,” Velasquez said. “I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just to people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to, to pay that back.”
Velasquez also said it was important to have open and honest conversations with your kids about what kind of behaviour is acceptable and listen to what they say.
“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,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”
Despite the legal consequences, Velasquez has garnered significant support from the MMA community and across social media platform, with people discussing under the hashtag #FreeCainVelasquez, and canvassing for his release.
Velasquez became the UFC heavyweight champion on October 23, 2010, when he defeated then-champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 121.
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