UFC legend Cain Velasquez sentenced to prison after no-contest plea to attempted murder charge

Ex-UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez's three-year saga after a street shooting incident ended with a prison sentence on Monday.

UFC legend Cain Velasquez sentenced to prison after no-contest plea to attempted murder charge

Former UFC fighter Cain Velasquez sentenced to five years in prison Monday (Source: X)

Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez is now subject to five years in prison minus time served. This was for a 2022 shooting in retaliation for Harry Goularte assaulting his son and one of the clearest MMA ‘whodunits’ in recent times.

The charges stem from a February 2022 road rage incident. Velasquez initiated a high-speed chase and preemptively fired a handgun at the vehicle. It later came to be that the vehicle was carrying not only Goularte but also his family. Goularte ran a daycare center where he allegedly (and repeatedly) abused the then-4-year-old son of the ex-UFC fighter!

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 — If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge…

District Attorney Jeff Rosen in a press release statement, San Jose, Calif., H/T: SBNation Network
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Velasquez initially pressed on for a ‘not guilty’ stand for his violence. However, he changed his plea to no contest in August and had a dance date with Judge Arthur Bolcanegra. Velasquez, 42, was in court Monday for a sentencing hearing at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice, San Jose, California. He was accordingly sentenced to five years in prison after pleading no contest to attempted murder, according to NBC Bay Area.

While the prosecution asked the judge for 30 years to life, the defense bench demanded no prison time. An emotional Judge Bocanegra made his final ruling after a lunch break. Many in the UFC/MMA community had pleaded with higher powers for a clemency action to pardon Velasquez in due time.

However, the Team Khabib fave-fighter racked up a credit of 1,283 days. This means he’ll have to serve 542 days behind bars. That’s per veteran MMA journo Josh Gross and others. The matter has garnered many responses.

MMA pro Twitter reacts to Cain Velasquez’s sentencing

Seventy people were in the courtroom, along with Velasquez, the bench, the press, and family, according to KTVU FOX 2. Impact statements came from Velasquez, his 15-year-old daughter, and his wife. There were also pre-ruling statements from the target of the shooting, Goularte. Concurrently, his family also pitched in against the former UFC HW fighter.

Pros and peers react to Cain Velasquez
Pros and peers react to Cain Velasquez (Source: X)

Patricia Goularte and Bender spoke to the media scrum outside the courthouse after the verdict. They said they were ready to offer up character witness statements from other parents at the daycare. Velasquez spent right around nine months in incarceration with no bail until an appeal resulted in a different judge granting conditional release. He had trouble while inside as well.

Velasquez also spent time with anklet GPS monitoring and had prior permission for wrestling/MMA-related events. Days prior, he took full responsibility for his violence. Judge Bocanegra cited Velasquez’s public standing and outpouring of MMA/non-MMA support for a more emotional ruling. Now, his former peers are rallying behind him more than ever.

In a pre-sentencing memorandum, Deputy District Attorney Aaron French prescribed Velasquez for a more severe sentence for his crimes. But support on his side has been pouring in for a long time. Recently, Cain Velasquez even returned to limited MMA coaching.

Related: “Ask Khabib…” Daniel Cormier claims Jon Jones would not want ‘Cain Velasquez’ problems; calls teammate best fighter in the world